


The Sun Won't Set On Us

by theinvadersmustdie



Series: The Sun Won’t Set On Us [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Alternative universe angst, Angst, Blood, Confessions, Deviates From Canon, Enemies to Lovers, First published fan fiction eyyyyyyyy, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Knives, LGBTQ Themes, Love, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Pirate AU, Pirate!AU, Pirates, Politically Incompatible Lovers, Romance, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Smut, Soriku - Freeform, Violence, just some cuts and stabs, nothing too bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2019-10-14 04:19:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17501444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theinvadersmustdie/pseuds/theinvadersmustdie
Summary: “First one to the ship gets to be captain!”“That’s not fair!”“You call that running?”The hazy vision of teenage laughter and toes in the sand next to the crisp white edge of the sea foam fills his head. The overgrowth still surrounds their homes, threatening to climb over the rooftops while long forgotten romances continue to disappear. He dreamt of warm sands and crystal clear waters- a place that could be anywhere and yet Sora knew without seeing any other part of it that it was home.Home is where the heart is after all.





	1. You’re Somebody Else

**Sora**

 

“First one to the ship gets to be captain!”

 

“That’s not fair!”

 

“You call that running?”

 

The hazy vision of teenage laughter and toes in the sand next to the crisp white edge of the sea foam fills his head. The overgrowth still surrounds their homes, threatening to climb over the rooftops while long forgotten romances continue to disappear. He dreamt of warm sands and crystal clear waters- a place that could be anywhere and yet Sora knew without seeing any other part of it that it was home.

Home is where the heart is after all.

Rolling out of his bed and tugging on clothes, Sora sways with his boat as it rides the chaotic waves through the night. He can hear the excited chatter of his crew up above, preparing for the onslaught of terror they were about to release upon those less fortunate. He stretches his arms up tall and lets out a yawn caused by his midday nap.

It was the only way he can escape this life; dreaming of his past and everyone he left behind.

He ties his errant locks in a bandana, not willing to lose his hat to the weather outside, and makes his way above deck. His mood matches the weather- electrifying and nearly too wild to be contained in any manner. This kind of weather could only be found at sea and Sora thrived where it was the most unpredictable. His crew only cared if they had bounty in their hull and food in their stomachs. Sora could provide that at the sake of his morality.

    The night is the type of cliche he loved best: the waves as high as mountains, rugged in their ferocity while nearly crashing into the ship and upsetting it. A poor and inexperienced sailor could easily drown. _The Organization_ is more than well prepared to handle the violence the ocean threw at them. But even this weather proves to be a surprise. The storm had come unexpected, pitch black darkness as the clouds had thickened. It’s dramatic, the clash of thunder and the howling wind through their sails an orchestra for them to perform with. The wind and rain stings his face relentlessly as he peers through his telescope and his lips curl into a feral smile. As their ship crashes through the waves, their prey- a merchant ship- is still unaware of their rapid approach.

It wouldn’t be that way for long.

The crew, even as sure footed as they are, start to slip on the rain soaked deck as they prepare for war. Callused and sure hands grip ropes to heave themselves along the ship. Finally, they launch the first cannon ball, splintering the air with a crack not unlike the thunder around them.

    Dawn is fast approaching, painting the sky with pink blushes and purple bruises, when Sora steps foot on the merchant’s ship. He catches the name in passing and his nose scrunches in distaste. _The Highwind_ , a pretentious name for boys too adventurous and naive for their own good. The name sparks an inward curiosity, however, while his eyes are floating over the bound crew and skipping past the crying faces. Sora finds himself surprised to see his first mate, Saix, struggling with someone. Pushing past those who were not worth his time and ignoring desperate cries, Sora watches curiously as Saix backhands the person with brutal strength. Whoever he is struggling with utters a quiet grunt of pain, thunder rolling in the foreground.

    “If you will not cooperate, we have no use in keeping you alive,” Saix snapped, ripping a knife from his belt and sending it into the air with a clenched fist.

    Sora quickly sees who Saix is fighting with before he plunges the knife down before he barks,

“Stop!”

    The knife freezes, barely an inch from Riku’s heaving chest. It _is_ Riku- Sora’s eyes hadn’t deceived him. So much has changed, but at the same time, he is just as Sora remembers eight years before. Something- anger, shame, despair - bubbles hotly in Sora’s stomach and he stalks forward. Saix moves aside with a silent glare which challenges his order, but Sora does not have the time nor the care to say anything about it.

    Gripping Riku’s chin tightly, Sora stares- daring Riku to recognize him the way Sora had recognized him. There is nothing but dull confusion and fear in his eyes. Blood pours steadily from a cut above his eyebrow, but other than that and the backhanded blow he received, Riku seems fine. Concussed, yes. But fine.

    “Take him, and him alone, to the brig,” Sora orders, letting go of Riku’s face. His fingers tingle and he resists the urge to wipe them on his pants. He grips them into a tight ball, disgusted that even if he wouldn’t allow his face to betray any emotion, his body would refuse to cooperate.

Unwisely, Demyx protests, “Captain Sora, sir! I thought-”

Riku’s head snaps up, eyes connecting with his with startling clarity for someone who couldn’t focus on anything a moment ago. Sora turns away, refusing to see the look of betrayal which has crossed Riku’s face the instant he realized who had just destroyed his ship. Whatever Demyx was going to say, Sora wouldn’t let him finish.

“Don’t,” he says softly. Once upon a time, anger didn’t come easily to him. Now it came in the form of soft pullings; a small trail of gunpowder with a match to light it. One day, that spark would lead to a cache of gunpowder and Sora would watch as his world explodes.

Once, he had been an adventurous, naive boy whose only wish was to stay in love. He got his wish and at a painful exchange. He let his heart be his guiding key and it had taken him as far from home as he could get. So why is Riku staring up at him with burning eyes, and why is Sora’s heart aching in such a way when he could have sworn he had iced it over so long ago?

Without taking his eyes off his ship or slowing his steps, he pulls his pistol from his hip and shoots where he thinks Demyx is standing. There’s a yelp and splintering of wood, and Sora does not miss a beat in his walk back. He crosses the plank back to _The Organization,_ pretending that everything's still fine even though it isn’t.

    “Clean up,” he says, listening to the scuffling of feet as Riku is dragged behind him. He would be taken down below deck where he would be safe from the massacre that would take place on _The Highwind_ in a few moments time. Sora drags himself to his own quarters and throws himself onto his bed. He cannot sleep, but he thinks and remembers of days long past.

_Riku._

 

-

**Riku**

 

His head throbs and threatens to knock him back into a slumber. It isn’t the worst pain, but the most distracting. The churning of his stomach and the aching of his head leads him to wonder if for the first time in his life, if he would be seasick. The ocean has always been a second home to him, but the way it was now makes no sense. He cannot understand why the ocean suddenly feels so malevolent and unsafe. There’s an abundance of smoke in the air- that much he can tell and it is a blessing and curse all at once.

    The gash on his head throbs in time with his heart and it makes thinking as hard as the smell of the smoke is distracting. There is _something_ there, in the back of his mind and the more he tries to grasp at it, the more it slips like sand through his fingers. He isn’t sure if he wants to even know what his mind is blocking from him but the more he tries to ignore it, the more it is like an itch he couldn’t scratch.

    It had been missing when he woke, locked in a cell by himself and bleeding. It is night or early morning- it had been night when the storm had really kicked in. He remembers sailing on his ship, _The Highwind._ He cannot remember what he had been doing or why he was sailing home, but he knows it was there that something happened. There had been a clap of thunder, unlike any he had heard before, and then…

    And then…

    There were shards of wood flying through the air, and the storm only pulled his men into a realm of confusion. It couldn’t have been thunder, it had to have been a cannon ball hurtling through the night sky to bring them down.

    Riku furrows his brow, the stinging of his cut pouring a new small river of blood into his eye. He is still piecing the fragments of his memories together, bit by bit when he hears the door to the stairs beyond his field of sight open. Moving his head to look up is enough to make bile bubble up to his mouth and he gags, praying desperately he did not make more of a mess of himself. At least, not anything more than what he already has with whatever the putrid water of the cell contains. Choosing instead to flick his eyes up, he instantly recoils hard enough to slam into the wall when he sees who was watching him.

    Gasping in pain, tears springs to his eyes. Gritting his teeth, Riku stubbornly refuses to let them fall. He tilts his head back to see Sora better, to drink in the sight of him.

    If the man in the doorway is at all affected by seeing his long-lost lover after eight years of being apart, Sora does not show it at all. He seems almost unimpressed by what he sees and Riku stares trying to see any resemblance to the teenager he used to know in what stands before him. Only the blue, blue eyes Riku once swore he could drown in remain the same. They glint and sparkle in the poor lighting and Sora finally smiles. It is a pale shadow of what Riku once knew, edging on cruel. Despite that, Riku cannot find it in himself to be afraid.

    There is a sense of relief, but beyond that quick on its heels is swiftly growing anger. There was _so much_ anger. Riku had never been particularly great at expressing himself to anyone but Sora, but here with so many years between them and so many unanswered questions, the words wouldn’t come. They spin in his head, like stars above their island, but not matter how hard he reaches for them, they remain far away.

    When, finally, he has a semblance of a sentence ready to be flung into the air, Sora huffs a laugh and leaves. The words die in Riku’s throat and turn into a strangled shout of frustration as he slams his fist into the wall. He bows his head and weeps long, shuddering sobs.

 

Of course, there is no one there to witness it.


	2. Salt For Salt, Bone For Bone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If I should die out here at sea,  
> would anyone be mourning me?  
> Or would I leave this world unknown?  
> Salt for salt and bone for bone"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome back!! This chapter is written mostly by me with input and beta help by [Prrrrmm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2425535)  
> Thank you to all who took the time to read!  
> Chapter title and summary comes from Ebb and Flow by Brown Bird

**Sora**

Below deck was once his favorite place to be other than up in the sun, but it has been long since it lost it’s warm feeling since he has become captain. His crew may have helped him stage the mutiny that led to him becoming the captain of their ship, but Sora couldn’t say they liked him. The only one still willing to talk to him is Demyx, and usually, Sora finds him a little too… off the walls for his taste. But right now the idea of being alone, after seeing him, is too much to bear.

Sitting and drinking with them proves to be interesting and he watches his crew over the rim of his mug. The few moments of Riku and him being in the same room has hurt more than Sora had thought possible. He has always been in love with Riku, not even the years apart could change that. Seeing him in the cell - the cell Sora had put him in, and seeing the distaste that welled in his eyes - utterly destroyed him. There is nothing he could ever do to explain his actions, and he isn’t sure he wants to anymore. Maybe once upon a time, before he became known as a cruel pirate who killed without mercy and left behind a path of burning ships. 

Wrapped up in his thoughts, Sora nearly spills his drink when Demyx nudges him. 

“So what’s the deal with the prince in our tower, Cap?” 

Sora is content to ignore Demyx, but then the others chime in- Xaldin and Xigbar - wondering why they have someone in their cell when they have never taken a prisoner before. 

“Why couldn’t we have just left him? He was already so weak - it's not like he could have fought back,” Xaldin points out, meeting eyes with Sora.

“Should have just left him tied to the mast,” Xigbar mutters before taking a sip of his ale.

No matter the protests, Sora cannot tell them the truth. He cannot admit to his inability to kill the one person he cares for in this world. Something tells Sora it wouldn’t go over well. Sweeping the coldest look he can manage over the room, he huffs, “I wasn’t aware my actions were up for review. I thought being captain meant I could do whatever I want, without you talking back,” while meeting eyes with Xaldin. 

Saix has his arms crossed, observing the crew from the back corner. A small smirk creeps up from his mouth, and he looks down to the floor, standing above the cell where Riku is being held. After no rebuttal, Sora stands and leaves, taking his drink with him. Maybe being alone would be better after all. 

Back in his quarters, he sits heavily at his desk. It’s a large ornate thing- not at all anything he would have chosen for himself. The last captain, Xemnas, had vastly different tastes than him. Moving it after Sora had disposed of Xemnas had seemed like too much work. So now here he sits, trying to figure out what they should do next. The draw of Riku, tempting him to go back down those steps and cup his face and kiss him senseless, pulls at him and distracts him from doing anything useful. 

After Sora had left Destiny Islands at fifteen, he had never stepped foot on his homeland again. That was when he had been the most impatient and ready to do whatever his heart told him to do. If he couldn’t resist the urge now, at twenty-three, then he isn’t fit to do anything. There is too much riding on Sora’s shoulders to let Riku destroy him again. 

It does not take long for Sora to give up his attempts of ignoring his swarming thoughts and head back on deck. He orders his helmsman to make their way to the closest port. It was time for some well-deserved rest. After three days of sailing and Sora getting grumpier and grumpier, they finally land at the small town of Hollow Bastion. He wastes no time in jumping off his ship, eager to put distance between him and Riku.

Stepping off the boat, Sora feels the cool salty breeze blowing through his hair and raises a hand to pull his cap down closer to his face. The cobbles underfoot is a strange sensation after being on deck for so long. They start to cross Market Square in Radiant Garden as the vendors have already begun to set up their booths. The warm sunlight falls gently on Sora’s shoulders as he lingers for a moment or two. In front of him lies cramped wooden stalls filled with sweaty vendors. The booths are covered in colorful fabric roofings with lights and lanterns hanging from the sides and windows up above. There are kids running and playing in the fountain, paying no attention to the adult shoes they are stepping on and pushing by. Sora can smell one or two of the vendors grilling meats and his stomach growls. It takes him a moment to realize he hasn’t eaten much besides the rations they received from The Highwind.

Well… stolen is a much more accurate word. 

He makes a mental list of supplies they need to buy, but when he turns around to face his crew, half of them have already begun to explore the city. He sighs deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. He looks up to see Xaldin and a few others patiently waiting on his orders.

“Go ahead and look for some food to bring with us on board. I’m sure the rest of the crew aren’t considering what we actually need.”

Xaldin grunts in agreement and walks past Sora towards a merchant with plenty of meats and vegetables on display. They sit on wooden barrels alongside some baked bread. The wonderful smells from the food clash with the rot from the alleyway, burning Sora’s nose. He shakes his head and tries to ignore the crowd as he squeezes his way towards the tavern.

The cheers from the nearby pub echo throughout the latter end of the marketplace and the sour smell of ale fills the air surrounding the two doors inside. Laughter pierces Sora’s ears as he pushes past a group of men flirting with one of the bartenders. He raises his hand in a gesturing motion, catching the attention of another bartender.

“One ale please.”

The bartender simply nods before turning around to the tap attached to a dark, water damaged keg. The foam trails over the edge of the mug as it’s handed to the captain. After he’s nearly pushed over by a man laughing wildly at a joke his friend made, Sora takes his drink elsewhere with a groan. He finds a small table in the back corner of the tavern- secluded and closed off, something he finds himself craving more and more as the day went on. He hadn’t been sitting for long when he feels a tap on his shoulder before a hand pushes a scroll into his own. Before he has time to react, the cloaked figure disappears into the pub crowd. Sora brings the scroll up to his face and sees the all too familiar wax seal. 

“So, the Guild wants to see me…?” he mutters, distracted only by the roars from the bar guests. He sits down at the table, sitting his drink across from him. He unfurls the scroll and begins to read it.   
  


**Riku**

 

The shadows dance across the stone walls as Riku wakes up from his rest. The three days that had passed felt like an eternity. He feels the tight leather straps on his wrists and ankles as the chain drags when he goes to touch his face. The chain pulls his hand back to where he can barely feel that his cut has finally started to heal, the scab feeling rough below his fingertips. The sun shines through the iron bars as water steadily floods a few inches from the floor. Running his tongue over chapped lips, Riku can feel a sunburn starting on his shoulder where his shirt has ripped. The bruises on his rib cage ache and he winces anytime he moves. The only thing that is remotely good about his situation is his headache has mostly gone away. He hears shoes thumping against the deck above him along with the shudder of the anchor down below. 

They must have stopped somewhere.

Riku struggles in the leather that binds him, thinking that if he could escape now, he would have enough energy to reach the nearest officer. Surely someone had to be guarding the dock. 

He groans audibly as his energy begins the leave him as quickly as it appeared. He squeezes his eyes shut before opening them wide in an effort to stay awake. He had been slipping in and out of consciousness since Sora visited him. His three days had been spent in a vicious cycle of passing out from exhaustion, angrily sobbing, and yelling above deck to be released. His focus drifts from his escape plan, and he rolls his neck from side to side to try to loosen up the kinks. There had been no comfortable way to sleep with the way he had been restrained, the wall the only place to lay his head. At least the silence had been broken with the lively, distant sound of the market.

The market.

Riku’s throat scratches as he starts to yell for help. Maybe, somehow, someone would hear him and alert a guard. His voice is rough like sandpaper and he worries it might not be loud enough to grab someone’s attention. He does not have much time to yell loud enough before-

“If you don’t shut up this instant, I’ll do it for you.”

Riku’s yell is cut off instantly as the man who dragged him down stands in the doorway. Riku thought he heard Sora refer to him as Saïx above deck one evening. He’s playing with a dagger, pushing the tip with his fingers to test how sharp it is. Riku involuntarily shudders and starts to panic.

_ He wouldn’t do this. Not without the captain’s orders.  _

_ But what if he did order this? _

“You’re the commissioner’s son, right?”

Riku nods hesitantly, pulling on his leather bindings. 

“I don’t know why the captain decided to take you in and frankly, I don’t really care. But there’s no way you’re escaping this ship.”

“Sora… he won’t let you do anything,” Riku dared, feeling his headache threatening to return. 

“I don’t think you fully appreciate the gravity of your situation,” Saix said darkly. “The captain has already given me explicit orders to keep watch on you and do  _ whatever it takes _ .” Saix takes his knife and runs it across the iron bars, a strong emphasis on the end of his warning.

_ What can I say to him? I can’t let him intimidate me like this, but…  _

_ What choice do I have? _

-

**Sora**

 

“This is unacceptable behavior, Master Sora.” Master Eraqus shakes his head at Sora, sitting across the long table alongside his council members. 

“No one with any sense of dignity calls me that anymore.”

Master Yensid sighs and puts his head in his hands, clearly frustrated with the man. Sora huffs a laugh and shrugs. Yensid has known him for long enough to realize this is a pointless meeting. 

“Look, this is all a waste of time. Why should I have to turn him over? His crew and ship are already gone.” The words stick in his throat when he realizes what exactly he did just to get Riku back in his possession. Maybe not a pointless meeting then- it’s painfully obvious what will come of this conversation.

“He is the son of the commissioner, I shouldn’t have to explain it to you.”

“Do you realize what would happen if I just… gave up and sent him home? My crew would never respect me again,” Sora mutters. He cannot show any sign of weakness in front of the crew, especially Saix, who was Xemnas’s right-hand man before… before… Sora mentally shakes his head clear of those thoughts and pushes away from the table. Master Eraqus stands up as well and points his finger at him. 

“Then you’ll be solely responsible for war once they receive word of  _ The Highwind _ sinking. Think about that.” He sits back down and pushes his hair back with a sharp exhale. “You have one month.”

Sora blinks as he processes what Eraqus said, “I’m sorry?”

“You have one month, Sora. Before this all blows up on you.”

Sora pauses for a moment, thinking of something to say. The council continued to stare at him, waiting for a response. Finally, Eraqus spreads his hands helplessly. “Sora, you can’t just… You can’t just sit back and pretend all of this is okay. We’re worried about you, especially after killing Xemnas.”

Sora starts to walk away from the table. Eraqus reaches a hand out, but stops. The door slams with a thud as Sora walks away from the council. Guess he wouldn’t be coming back to Hollow Bastion anytime soon.

 

_ A month? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos are appreciated! Have a fantastic week y'all!


	3. I Make Mistakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I guess rules are there to break  
> But I make mistakes like they were handed on a plate  
> When I try to leave sometimes, I'm standing in the way  
> I'm on the edge of crying all the time, 'cause I can't human right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Hello all!! Welcome to another chapter of our very self-indulgent fic!   
> Chapter title comes from Time in a Tree by Raleigh Ritchie

**Riku**

Saix has been gone for a few hours before Riku hears the door to the room open. He tries to crane his neck to see who’s coming in and sees brown hair barely contained by a crooked hat. Sora confidently strolls down to Riku’s cell, holding a piece of bread. He chuckles darkly walking over, meeting Riku’s eyes with his own.

“Well, hello. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Sora says before taking a bite. 

“Sora, I don’t have time for this. Let me out of here,” Riku growls.

Sora crosses one foot over the other as he leans against the cell door. That devilish grin of his makes every warning bell in Riku’s head goes off. 

“I was expecting you to dine with me. Maybe we can talk about it?”  
Sora smugly takes another bite of the bread. He was obviously taunting Riku and enjoying every minute of it. 

“I’d rather die,” Riku snaps. At this rate, he would.

Sora leans off the cell door and grabs the bars with both hands. “Do you not understand how much danger you’ll be in if you stay here?” Riku stays silent, glaring at Sora. Those beautiful blue eyes look vicious under the setting sun.  “Surely you’re hungry,” Sora spits out, crossing his arms and still kneeling in front of the cell.“We just got a huge haul of food that we’re planning on cooking. Of course, you won’t see any of it unless you choose to have dinner with me.”

Riku’s stomach growls at the thought of eating, but he suddenly feels nauseated at the idea of sitting across a table from Sora.  _ Who knows what kind of tricks he has up his sleeve? Then again, how am I supposed to escape feeling this exhausted?  _ Another cruel silence passes before Riku huffs, “Fine.”

Sora claps his hands together, not trying to hide his smile. “Excellent! I’ll send the boys down to come get you when it’s ready.”

Sora turns and heads out the door. Riku groans in angst, letting his head fall down. His arms are exhausted and sore from being bound for so long. He ponders on how long it would even be before someone could come down to get him. He sighs audibly and starts to devise a plan to escape. 

After an hour or two and several bouts of stomach growling later at the smell of food, Xaldin and Demyx enter the room holding folded clothes. Xaldin starts to unlock the door and Riku considers trying to overtake them.

_ No, I have to wait. Besides, I can’t take on these two with how weak I am. _

Riku lets his arms go limp as Xaldin unties his leather bindings. Riku rubs his wrists and looks up at the man. Demyx walks over and pushes the clothes onto Riku. “Get dressed.”

Confused, Riku pauses before starting to take off his shirt.

“Not in here! Follow us,” Demyx says, amusement clear in his voice. 

Riku shrugs and follows the two into a guest room down the hall. They shove him into the room before he can comment and shut the door behind them. Riku immediately looks for a way out, but there are no windows and the only door is at his back. The only way to leave this ship is by gaining Sora’s trust - no matter how much Riku himself could never trust Sora again. Not after everything he’s done. 

* * *

**Sora**

 

After Marluxia called for him, he quickly dresses in what he considers his most dashing outfit. Sora looks in the mirror; his usual low cut white linen shirt is covered partially by a black wool pea coat. This is worn with a red sash around his waist, fashioned from luxurious silk. He leaves his hat, for now, letting his hair be wild and untamed. Sora slips on a statement leather belt made heavy by his dangerous collection of daggers and his pistol. He dons beaded bracelets from a few trips back to Radiant Garden, which had been sold to him by a kind merchant. The small gold hoop earrings shine in time with the buckles on his black boots, and he runs his fingers over the buttons on his coat so they gleam as well. Sora looks fantastic and is in an even better mood to see Riku again. 

Looking over the table laid heavy with food prepared by Vexen, the ships designated chef, Sora hums appreciatively. The food hadn’t been made without complaint, but Vexen had delivered in the end. Where so much time between them passed, Sora had tried his best to remember a meal they both enjoyed from their childhood to prepare for tonight. There is only one thing to do before Riku gets here and Sora doesn’t hesitate to light the candles. It’s romantic and soft; it’s also the only lighting Sora allows in his cabin. He tells the crew it’s to save them from running out of oil for the lanterns down below. Really it’s because he hates having enough light to see his mistakes and having a softer glow about his cabin makes him feel safer with himself. 

He’s finishing lighting the last candle when a sharp rap comes from the door. 

“Enter,” he calls not caring if his voice is a little too swift to answer. When Riku enters, Sora’s mouth goes dry. The outfit he had pushed onto Riku fits him like a dream; an off-white cotton shirt flows over his chest and the bottom is tucked into high waisted black pants. Sora notices he isn’t wearing the earrings he had left with the clothes. Sora’s hair falls in front of his face and he brushes his bangs aside. He feels his face turning redder by the second. It takes a moment of Riku standing and staring at him before Sora finally gestures to the chair. “Sit,” he says lamely, knowing full well if this had been any other way- if this had been eight years ago- Riku would have cracked a smile and snarked back.

“I know what to do with a chair,” mental Riku says to him, but the real and very close Riku only stares blandly and takes a seat. 

Riku stares at the meal before him, but unlike the appreciative way Sora had gazed over it, Riku only looks like he’d rather be elsewhere. Sora knows the look, he had seen it all too many times during lessons with their tutors growing up. 

“Go ahead and eat. I know you’re starving. It’s pretty obvious the boys haven’t been feeding you.”

Riku pauses for a beat before ripping into the drumstick sitting on a platter in front of him. 

“You’re welcome to the wine, too.” Sora gestures to the glass and bottle sitting next to Riku. Riku immediately takes a gulp of it before continuing to eat. Sora watches in amusement before starting to eat his own plate. Silence grows in the room as they continue to eat, not saying a word to each other. Sora finishes his meal in between catching himself staring at Riku. 

“Here’s what is going to happen. For the foreseeable future, you are in my custody.” Sora says promptly once Riku finishes his meal, intertwining his fingers.

Riku looks up at him and immediately snaps, “You can’t just keep me here. I won’t let you.”

“The choice is scarcely yours,” Sora says, raising an eyebrow.

Riku takes a moment to sip at his wine before shrugging nonchalantly, “They’ll come for me, you know.” 

“I highly doubt it. Your crew is already gone, along with  _ The Highwind _ .” Sora’s explains, trying to sound like he was proud of what he’s done.

“You… you sunk the ship?” Riku’s voice drops as he sets his glass down. 

Sora smiles before replying with a bite in his voice, “Your crew, too.”

Riku stands up at the table and Saïx draws his sword. Riku pauses before raising his hands and sitting back down at the table. 

“I can’t believe it,” he whispers. “You’re somebody else. What the hell happened to you?” Riku says, clearly disgusted with the man in front of him. 

_ More than you will ever know.  _ Sora refrains from letting loose a bitter laugh and instead says, “It’s been a long time. Can’t we just talk?” 

“I have no interest in catching up with you. It’s time that you release me,” Riku proclaims, his face growing red. 

“I mean, we can release you. You probably wouldn’t like where we’d leave you though,” Sora laughs, gesturing to the middle of the ocean outside of the window. 

“You know I mean the islands.”

Sora’s mouth twitches at the idea of Riku being back at the island without him. He couldn’t let that happen. Not before they have a chance to talk about everything that’s happened.

Sora sits back in his chair and puts his hands together before speaking slowly. “You’re not leaving for a while. So why don’t we just talk about what happened and-“

“Sora, no!” Riku slams his hands on the table, standing up again. Saix starts to walk over calmly, sword in hand. Sora waves him off, admiring Riku’s assertiveness. 

“I couldn’t care less about what you’ve been up to. You’re not worth it,” Riku huffs before meeting eyes with Saix. 

_ I’m… not worth it? To him? _

Sora looks down at the half-eaten plate and a wave of sudden anger starts to form, making it harder to breathe. Still, he tries, and he pushes air into his lungs and lets it out just as slowly in order to say, “At least- at least give me a chance. Let’s dance like we used to. We can talk things through.” 

Riku scoffs, “I’m sorry, but you lost your chance to explain when you took off in the middle of the night.  _ You left me _ .” 

A quick, barely noticeable look flits across Sora’s face and then it’s gone and he’s shuttering the vulnerability behind a wicked twist of his mouth. “Do you want to be free? Then dance with me.”

Frustrated, Riku gestures wildly- conveying anger, disgust, loneliness, and painfully hits his goblet of wine with the back of his hand. It goes sailing and all eyes track it’s descent down to the floor. Riku swiftly grabs the steak knife by his plate and tucks it into the waistband of his pants while everyone is distracted. It wasn’t the most graceful or tactical distraction, but he needed it to work and it did- partly. 

Sora turned back to him not a moment later, and his eyes flicked over Riku’s body for a millisecond. Sora knows why he has the knife, but whether it will go into him or into a member of his crew is another story. He goes to open his mouth but Riku beats him to it. “I’ll dance with you, and then I don’t want to see you again unless you are planning on setting me free. If I die, then I die with more honor than you have ever possessed.”

Blinking rapidly, Sora processes and turns the words over in his head. He wonders if anyone on this ship can see the tiny cracks in the mask he has made for himself. He wonders if Riku notices and if he would even care. 

“Fine,” Sora finally chokes out.

Another silence passes before Saix walks over to Sora and gestures towards the back of the room. Sora clears his throat before muttering, “Excuse me.”

They walk towards the back, leaving Riku to his empty plate and glass.

“What is it?” Sora snaps.

“Why are we entertaining him? Shouldn’t we be talking about how to get rid of him before this war starts?” Saix insists. 

“Look,” Sora hesitates before clearing his throat again, “He may not have a use to us right now- but later. Maybe. So, I say we keep him.”

They both nod and turn back to Riku with his hands on the table. Something about his facial expression throws Sora off, so he waves his hand. He’s through with this conversation. 

“Take him down the hall.”

Saix grabs Riku’s arm with no hesitation. Riku puts up an honest fight by taking a swing at Saix before he’s met with a blow to his gut and a sword to his back. 

“Walk,” Saix commanded, pushing the sword ever so slightly into the curve of his back. Riku hesitates to shoot a glare at Sora before walking on. Sora follows them without a word with a scowl. 

He directs them to a room down the hall. Once he nods, Saix throws Riku in the room and slams the door behind him before Sora can protest. Sora sighs when Riku starts to pound on the door and sighs a tired, “Dismissed.”

 

* * *

**Riku**

The room is the same guest room as earlier, untouched by any crew member.  Sora had planned for everything Riku could use for his escape. There are no glasses he could break, no windows he could crawl out of. It’s a simple room with a medium sized bed in the center of the room, along with a wooden nightstand. The door slams behind him and Riku runs to the door, beating on it with his fists.

“Sora, let me out of here!”

After a minute, Sora creaks open the door to meet Riku’s face.

“You would do well to consider what I have said,” Sora says, his face stern. 

He sighs and starts to close the door again before saying, “It’s for your own safety.”

The door shuts, a lock clicks, and Riku bangs on the door for a minute before his hands are red and sore. He hears Sora quietly ordering someone to guard the door on the pain of death. Dropping to the ground, Riku can see a pair of boots under the crack of the door. Riku’s plan of breaking the door down with the dresser is immediately dismissed. He runs his hand over his belt, feeling the tip of the steak knife. He sighs deeply and lets his chest drop, devastated at how this is going to end. 

Settling against the door, Riku rubs his temples. A headache is threatening to form, and the last thing he wants to do is to think about is the days on the island with Sora, and yet it’s all he can think about. 

_ “What are we doing here?” _

_ Riku pulled away from kissing Sora and nuzzled into his neck, only half hearing the question. Sora chuckled and gently pushed Riku away.  _

_ “I mean it. What are we doing here?” He cupped Riku’s face in his hands and sighed, “Don’t you ever get… bored of the island?” Sora’s smile faded and he sat back on his elbows on the warm sand. The sun started to set, but the residual heat coursed through his skin as he stared out into the ocean.  _

_ “I feel like… we’re meant for so much more,” Sora breathed. _

_ In the gentle glow of the dying light, Sora’s skin was tanner than usual and Riku had to refrain from pressing a hundred butterfly kisses onto it. Forcing his eyes away from Sora’s neck, Riku stared into Sora’s eyes. They were missing their usual mischievous gleam and instead he was languid and still. Like the way he looked when he first woke up. There weren’t enough metaphors or similes to describe him in that moment, and the word -soft-  came to Riku even as confusion settled upon him. _

_ Aren’t things perfect the way they are? _

_ “Sora… you mean everything to me. I couldn’t ask for anyone more perfect.” Riku reached out a hand to Sora’s and placed it on top of his. Sora flinched for a second, before settling into the sand.  _

_ “I’ve… always wondered why we’re here on this island.” _

_ “Huh?” _

_ “If there are any other worlds out there… why did we end up on this one?” _

_ “What are you talking about?” _

_ Sora continued to stare out into the ocean, falling silent. _

_ “Sora?” _

_ “It’s nothing. Just thinking out loud.” His voice sounded reassuring, but his eyes remained on the water, the waves beating onto the shore. He started to open his mouth again but shuts it when Riku looked over at him. He turned to Riku’s face and turns it before pressing small kisses against the side of his neck. Riku started to protest before he melted under Sora, placing his arms around him. _

_ Being with Sora used to be as easy as breathing. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos are very much appreciated~  
> ALSO HAS ANYONE PLAYED KH3 YET? WHOOO BOY


	4. Bitter Doesn't Taste So Bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If my eyes are the windows to where my soul should be,  
> Can someone clean them up because my vision's getting foggy,  
> And I can see:  
> The anything/everything that I should be.  
> But I don't wanna be like that,  
> And bitter doesn't taste so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome back to this wonderful story of ours! We hope you enjoy! Chapter title and summary comes from Waterparks song, No Capes

**Sora**

 

The captain’s quarters are lit by candlelight once again as Sora runs his hands over the outfits in his wardrobe. Dark red waistcoats and navy blue trousers flash over his eyes as he groans out of frustration. Nothing is going to be good enough, good enough to impress  _ him _ . Riku’s already made up his mind about his stay here and his thoughts on Sora. So why was Sora this concerned about a choice of clothes?

He brings his hands up to his face and grab at the sides of his hair. Sora takes a few deep breaths in between thoughts of Riku in the outfit he had picked out for him. Exhaling softly and feeling his face grow warm, he scans his wardrobe again before pulling multiple hangers and outfits out of the closet. He throws them onto the bed and positions them so he can see them clearer. Sora ponders for a bit before picking up a knee-length coat with a fur trim. He inspects the collar and the sleeves before throwing it back onto the bed.

_ Too flashy. _

He runs back over to the closet and grabs a linen shirt after remembering he has no base for his outfit. Quickly, he pulls the shirt over his head and revels in the loose fit as it falls gently onto his chest. Sora tries to distract himself from the anxiety of seeing Riku again.

_ What if… what if this doesn’t bring him back? What if he actually means it, that he would rather die than see me again after this? _

An even darker, heavier thought lingers over his head.

_ What if he actually tries to attack me or the crew? What will happen to him? _

He tries his best to shake the thoughts out of his head as he finds himself holding another garment. This time it’s a dark navy blue coat that reaches the floor when Sora wears it. Given Sora’s height and build, almost every garment he wears is a little too big for him; not many sea captains are as short as him. Tailors are available around the sea port towns they stop at, but Sora has always been uncomfortable with the idea of it. He sighs and starts to put on a violet vest before layering the jacket over it. He sits down at his vanity and wraps his errant locks in a bandana. He turns at a different angle to see how he looked before he applies some dark liner on his lash line, accentuating his bright blue eyes. He dabs some cologne onto his wrist and slides bracelets onto his wrists. Sora chuckles to himself, knowing that Riku is bound to make fun of how much effort he’s putting into his appearance before he’d see him again. 

Or at least, he would if everything was different.

He feels his heart drop as he finishes getting ready. After, he stands and grabs his tricorn hat hanging on the back of his door. He pushes past Lexaeus and Zexion who are chatting it up in the hallway and nervously walks towards the main room in the center of the ship. It isn’t much; Zexion and Demyx tried their best to decorate it and make it seem as close to a ballroom as they were able to. The band that they had picked up from Hollow Bastion are heard tuning their instruments from outside. Sora stops at the closed door and looks down at the floor. His heart flutters in his chest and he feels a slight wave of nausea overcome him. He swallows and balls his hands into fists.

_ He’s just a guy. Why are you letting him get to you like this? _

He pushes the door open with a sharp exhale and then Sora sees him.

 

Sora’s gaze rakes over Riku’s body appreciatively, the white shirt flowing against his chest and his silver hair drawing Sora further in. Riku’s dark purple waistcoat fits at the waist and he taps his foot nervously. His lips are parted slightly and he looks fairly uncomfortable with the amount of crew guarding the doors, rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes are darting across the room until they fall onto Sora. Sora finds himself taken aback and a hand starts to raise to his mouth to conceal a gasp, but he quickly stops himself. Riku continues to stare, not breaking the connection between the two. The colors in his eyes dance and swirl in the candlelight as Sora walks over to him. Riku suddenly looks more confident, straightening his posture and keeping his hands at his side. Sora tries to hide the smile creeping up his lips and for a second, he thought he saw Riku trying to hide one as well. 

He never looked more beautiful.  
Sora walks up to him and offers his hand. The music starts to play, softly at first. Riku hesitates for a moment, before placing his hand in his. Sora presses his other hand against Riku’s lower back, a little too low. They start slowly, the first few steps a little clumsy as they find their footing. They eventually fall into place, swirling around the dance floor. Swathes of bright fabric cling to the walls and there are candles sitting around the small makeshift ballroom. Ornate chairs and tables line the perimeter and flowers in vases have been placed in the center of them. The music is playing with a wonderful swell, the band making exceptional work of the tune Sora had chosen.

They spin around the dance floor in a beautiful waltz, with Sora leading Riku across the room. Sora, having years of experience keeping light on his feet, feels like he’s floating. He is gentle, never once scolding Riku as he stepped in the wrong direction or at the wrong time. He cannot tell how much time has passed since they had started and he doesn’t care. Each tiny step brings him closer to Riku and everything he had ever dreamed of. It’s not perfect, and there’s too much between them- both present and past - to ever really make this dance what he wanted. But they both know it could never go back to how it was.

Riku stumbles a bit, but Sora is ready to catch him from falling before spinning him. It all rushed by in a blur of warm yellow and golden lights as Sora finds himself leaning closer and closer to Riku’s chest. Sora sighs quietly under his breath in apprehension. He hates to break the moment, however false it is, but he can feel the press of the knife in Riku’s waistband and knows that if he doesn’t say anything, Riku is going to do something stupid. There would be nothing he could say to change the minds of Saix and Xaldin at the door and Riku would then end up dead. With their eyes glued to Riku and the tight hold they have on their weapons, there would be no hesitation from them.

The music grows louder, and Sora uses it to his advantage. Leaning to press his lips under Riku’s ear, he whispers, “I know what you’re playing at.” 

 

**Riku**

Pulling away for a split second, Riku felt the entire world drop from under his feet. His heart stops along with his breath and a cold chill runs through his body.

_ How? How does he know? _

His thoughts are disconnected from reality as he tries to school his shocked expression into something a little more natural. He knows it does nothing to hide the tension building in his body. Attempting to pull away from the dance, Riku didn’t make it far before Sora pulls him back flush with his body.  

“I know you stole the knife from dinner. I’m not an idiot. What do you think will happen if you try to pull something so stupid?”  
Riku feels nervous sweat beading on his forehead, the elegant costume he had been given to wear almost choking him, pushing against his Adam’s apple. He swallows, incredibly unsure of what to say. Sora’s grip tightens around his waist and hand with such a ferocity. Riku tries to twist his hand free of his, but he held it firmly yet with a tenderness that confused and scared him. What kind of game was he playing?  
Riku’s hand inches towards the knife while Sora continues the dance. He directs his attention to the shimmering sea across the balcony outside of the doors. His mind races as he tries to form some sort of an escape plan.

 _If I do it now, I can jump and swim to shore. Surely to God I’m close enough to an island or port._  
Thought and plan in place, Riku whips the blade out. Sora has enough time to look at him with wide eyes and for a split second Riku hesitates. He didn’t want to kill Sora, never that, but escape is a mere three steps away. Making his mind up, he plunges the knife into Sora’s thigh.    
Sora obviously tenses up, the muscles contorting around the knife. He gasps audibly and Saix and Xaldin are already tackling Riku to the ground, ropes and weapons ready. Riku struggles, losing his chance to escape by the second, as he feels the all too familiar roughness of the ropes. They slide over his skin and burn when he frantically tries to get a hit on Saix. Saix punches him in the nose, the blow sending Riku’s head back. He is overwhelmed with a ringing in his ears and the world is blurry for a moment. Scratches rake across his face and back as they wrestle him into the plank flooring while finishing tying him up. Sora breathes heavily, on the edge of hyperventilating. Saix is yelling at another crew mate to come get him, but Sora waves him off, noticeably wincing.  He takes his hand to the knife and groans loudly. Xaldin pushes Riku to his knees before he grabs a sheet from the wall. He hands it to Sora and he grabs it with a fury before tearing off a strip. Sora ties it to his leg tightly to halt the blood flow from the wound. Saix and Xaldin drag Riku to the deck with much resistance. The freezing rain clings to his skin where his shirt has been ripped apart and Riku is filled with an unbelievable coldness and dread when he’s dragged to the edge of the balcony. Saix and Xaldin start to lift him up over the bannister. 

“Stop!” Sora barks at them and they freeze in place, Saix’s grip on Riku’s arms tightens immensely. They throw him into his knees in front of Sora. The adrenaline from the attack flows through Riku’s veins as he struggles to meet Sora’s face. Sora’s left leg is in the makeshift bandage and he’s favoring his right leg. He hobbled before correcting his stance to walk calmly over to Riku.   
“I’m not Xemnas. You think after three years that you all would know the difference between us and how to act accordingly,” Sora snarls, staring at Saix and Xaldin.   
“I don’t know how to act, because we’ve never taken a prisoner before,” Saix barks back, not showing an ounce of resistance. Sora locks eyes with him, a deadly stalemate with neither of them willing to back down.  

After what feels like forever, Riku yells at Sora, “If you can’t control your crew, then maybe you shouldn’t be the one in charge.” He spits blood, feeling his nose bleeding.   
“You hold your tongue, Riku,” Sora says quietly, but menacingly. He draws his sword to Riku’s neck. 

“No! You don’t care about who you’ve hurt, as long as you get your way.”

Riku growls while pulling his head back, exposing his neck to his ex-lovers blade. He stares into Sora’s eyes as he searches for an expression. He pushes the sword an inch closer, barely kissing his neck before nicking him slightly. Riku shows no sign of pain and silently dares him to do more, even with the blood trickling down from the small cut.   
  


**Sora**

Sora smirks before removing his sword from his captive’s neck and squats down to meet Riku’s face. Their height difference meant nothing with Riku as vulnerable as he is on his knees. Sora reaches out quickly, but gently grabs Riku’s chin, meeting his icy glare. He squeezes lightly, taunting him. Riku reacts almost violently as he jerks his head back before being caught by Sora’s hand again. Sora is delighted in seeing him struggle as he’s bound, the ropes stretching across his chest. Riku’s hair falls in front of his eyes, but his stare pierces through the silver locks. His breath is hot in his face as Sora analyzes his expression. He could expect a quick punch to the face if the situation was any different. He could expect a lot of things between them if any of this was different.    
“Well, you’re not wrong...” he said, cutting through the tension with a knife as he throws Riku’s face away from him. He trails off as he chuckles at Riku’s face glowing red. He puts his hands on his thighs as he rolls up to a stand, smiling down at Riku like a wild animal.   
“And I always get what I want,” he said sinisterly, his voice almost dropping an octave.   
Before Riku can retaliate, Sora snaps his fingers and mutters, “Take him back to the brig,” before brushing his locks out of his eyes. Riku yells in protest before Saix delivers a swift kick to his stomach. He yelps and crunches into himself, offering little resistance while letting himself go limp as the two lackeys drag him to his cell. Violent waves lap against the boat and the storm carries on relentlessly while a pit develops in Sora’s stomach. He watches Riku being dragged back and the idea of taking him back to his room overwhelms Sora’s mind and the words clog and bubble in his throat. He’s on the edge of yelling at Saix to turn around, to bring Riku back to him, but he watches helplessly as the door to the brig room closes.

 

-

 

_ “You’re never going to get her to dance with you if you keep messing up.” _

_ “S-Shut up, I’m trying my best!” _

_ Riku and Sora feel the waves push against their legs as they waltz together in time. Sora is stumbling and stepping on Riku’s toes as Riku tries his absolute best to teach Sora how to dance. _

_ “Now, you step back as I step forward and-“ _

_ “I think I have it!” Sora exclaims before tripping over his own feet. Before he falls into the water, Riku reaches out and clasps his hands behind Sora’s back. The two stare at each other in silence before Riku lets out a bellowing laugh, which only grows louder as Sora’s face grows red. _

_ “Maybe she’ll find it as funny as I do.” _

_ “No, because you’re just being a jerk,” Sora pouts and finds his footing before standing back up.  _

_ “Oh, don’t be like that. I’m sure you’ll do fine at the papou festival.” _

_ “I’m just… so nervous. I’ve never asked a girl to dance before.” Sora groans before sitting down on the sand. Riku pauses before sitting down next to him. _

_ “I wish it was as easy as it is with you,” Sora mutters. He waits a moment before he realizes what he’s said. “D-Dancing, I wish dancing with her would be as easy as it is with you.” _

_ “I know what you meant.” Riku chuckles.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the wonderful comments and kudos!!! It means the world to us;;;;;


	5. I Don’t Want a Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “When I'm around slow dancing in the dark  
> Don't follow me, you'll end up in my arms  
> You have made up your mind  
> I don't need no more signs  
> Can you?  
> Can you?“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome back to this wonderful story of ours! We hope you enjoy! Chapter title and summary comes from Joji’s song, Slow Dancing in the Dark.

**Riku**

 

Saix drags him roughly down the stairs until Captain Sora is out of sight and immediately delivers a handful of powerful blows to Riku’s stomach and back. It’s never hard enough to knock him unconscious, though the words Saix mutters into his ears as he does so makes Riku wish he were dead by the end. At first, Riku tries to only wince at each blow landed on him, but when Saix kicks him repeatedly in the stomach, he can’t help the cry of pain that tears out of him. His body radiates intense pain from his wounds, blood running hot as Saix mercelessly continues his torture. Riku tries to call for help before remembering how soundproof these cells have proven to be. The pain consuming him is like a raging fire and he tries to fight back, but he’s so tired,  _ so tired, _ and he’s been a captive for so long that he can’t think - he can’t -   
After what seems to be an eternity, Saix finally leaves the cell, slamming the door behind him and leaving Riku completely bound. He closes his eyes against the nausea as the ceiling moves over him. The cold begins to overtake him. His head pounds in time with his heart, racing uncontrollably.

Riku hears rushed steps towards the door, halting to a true stop. Quiet arguing outside of the door starts immediately after, muffled by the sounds of the ocean and his own head pounding.    
“What did I just talk to you about?”   
“Sir, I-“   
“No, what did I just fucking talk to you about?”    
_ Is that Sora? _ _   
_ The conversation continues, voices hushed and slowly disappearing completely. After such a relentless beating, Riku tries to ignore the blood running steadily from his nose, the smell of copper making his stomach turn. He wakes up what feels like a few hours later, after drifting fast and hard into a small rest - as much of a rest he could get in his condition while silently pleading for mercy. He wakes up filled suddenly and completely with an overpowering dread, not knowing what time of day it is. It was night when they danced together, before.... before....    
_ Sora. I... _ _   
_ __ _ I hurt him.  _ _   
_ He jerks up with the sound of the door across the cell opening, sending a new wave of nausea and tightness through his chest down to his stomach. Riku looks at the top of his new home, a wooden ceiling dripping water into his eyes. He feels a boiling anger in his entire body, the adrenaline intensely morphing his thoughts into something foreign.   
_ You didn’t have to stoop this low, sending in your lackeys to finish the job. What kind of man are you? _ __   
Riku fades in and out of consciousness as the crew mate walks down the stairs, the jingling of keys echoing in his clogged ears. He starts to stir, but his head just feels too heavy for his neck, expecting it to snap at any moment. He keeps his head low as he believes he hears the cell door unlocking. He hears small splashes and the water being shifted. He tries to brace himself for whatever punishment he’s about to be dealt, before he feels a warm hand on his arm. Gentle hands push his head up and Riku’s eyes flutter open, meeting Sora’s eyes in an awe stricken gaze. Sora holds his head in his hands, analyzing his face with careful precision before looking down at his body. He gasps slightly, before catching himself and clearing his throat.   
“We can’t have this happening again...”   
Riku feels his hands drop along with the overbearing weight of his own head as it falls to his chest. After, he feels the rough ropes around his chest and wrists trail off of his body. His wrists and shoulders are filled with an unbelievable soreness, burned red by the coarse material. He lets out a deep sigh, the raw and painful gnawing in his stomach making him want to double over. Before he can think, he’s lying on the cold, flooded ground. He can’t grasp what’s happening as Sora puts his arm around his back, struggling to lift him to his feet.    
“C’mon, Riku. You gotta help me out here.” His voice is soft, caring, and it’s reminding him of home.   
Riku feels a sob bursting out of his throat, not even trying to keep it contained. The grip around his back and under his arm tightens as Sora lifts him off of the ground. Riku starts to find his footing and stumbles several times leaving the cell room. He feels his heartbeat slow down from a mile a minute as Sora’s strong arms lead him up the stairs.   
“It’s on your right. This way,” Sora gently ushers him, his voice completely different from when he was commanding his crew to take Riku away. Riku hates how much he wants to hear more of it.

Riku fails to remember actually making it into the room as he wakes up in a warm bed, sheets pulled back, exposing his chest. He groans audibly and tries to sit up. A calloused hand pushes him back to the bed.   
“Don’t move, I... I almost have it, okay?”   
Sora is sitting next to the bed, with his arms stretched out across Riku’s abdomen. Riku’s eyes widen when he sees the slits in his skin, dragging across his stomach and chest. Sora has started to wrap gauze around his midsection, covering what could only be more damage to his body. He lifts to see thin bandages revealing smaller cuts around his forearms. He feels his head sink into the pillow as he lets his arms fall gently. Riku fails to notice Sora staring at him with concern.   
“I talked to him. I told him that this,” he says, gesturing to Riku’s mangled form, “would get him killed, but... Riku, I had no idea it was this bad.”   
Riku groans again, shaking his head slowly.   
“What the fuck did you think was going to happen, Sora? Saix doesn’t exactly scream ‘compassion.’”   
“I know, but... I thought - I didn’t think he would go this far.”

Riku keeps his mouth shut, until Sora grabs a needle and thread.   
“W-Woah, wait a minute.” Riku waves his hands in front of him.

“It won’t be that bad, I promise! I’ve had to do this to myself a few times, but uh... you’ll want this.” He hands Riku a balled up wash rag and winces a bit. “Okay, it might be bad. But this cut right here needs stitches or you’re going to lose too much blood.” Sora jumps up suddenly and limps to his cabinet, throwing various articles of clothing out of the way. He grabs a bottle of whiskey and hurries back to the bed.   
“Here. This might help a little.”   
Riku pauses, almost laughing at the absurdity of it all, before he takes a large shot from the bottle. 

_ This is ridiculous. But I trust him. _

Sora waits for him to put the cloth in his mouth and to nod before he starts.

 

The entire process is incredibly tedious and painful, Riku’s muffled groans filling the bedroom. Sora’s apologies are muttered in between winces. Sora’s crew definitely notice, but do not dare to disturb the Captain. 

When it is all over, Riku removes the rag, sweat dripping down and falling off his nose. He takes a sharp inhale and sighs, looking at Sora cutting the thread and grabbing some gauze to cover the wound. Riku looks at the neat row of stitches before he can cover it and based on the needlework on his stomach, Sora has definitely had experience. 

_ What the hell has he been up to since the island?  _

Riku sighs again, feeling his heartbeat and headache start to slow.

“I really appreciate it,” Riku chokes out without control. What is it about this boy - man - that makes him want to be... kind? Even after everything that has happened?    
_ I hate that I love you. _ _   
_ __ Riku shakes away the thought. Sora looks up at Riku and tilts his head to the side, a small smile creeping up his mouth. Riku takes notice, but then remembers the cruel past behind the smile and all of the consequences of his actions. He feels his fists balling up, pressing into the sheets. Sora fails to notice, putting a hand on Riku’s stomach; that sweet smile raises red flags. He clears his throat and quickly removes his hand after a beat and stands up.   
“You’ll have to stay here tonight before I can...”   
He trails off while walking towards the door and visibly limping. Riku stretches his neck to see a blood stained pant leg, blood dripping onto the floor where he steps. He looks up at Sora and see that he’s wincing.   
“Do - Do you need help?”   
Sora’s head jerks up and he chuckles sarcastically,   
“From you? Not sure if I can trust you since this is your doing.”   
The words slice through Riku, leaving him speechless. Sora keeps looking towards the floor, until Riku notices tears crawling down his cheek. Riku starts to say something, but the words stay stuck in his throat when Sora collapses onto the floor. Riku rushes a little too quickly considering his wounds and he is hit with a wave of pain coursing through his entire being, feeling every single past blow from Saix. He pushes through the pain and hurries towards Sora, almost splitting his stitches. He starts to help Sora up, but Sora waves away his hand and starts to stand up, using his dresser for support.   
“I’m serious, I have no desire for your help-“ He falls again, pulling the cloth off of his dresser and shattering several knick knacks from his previous journeys. Riku takes note of the broken glass and takes a risk by putting his arm around Sora. Sora resists at first, but then he quickly settles into his arms before taking a step towards the bed.

“I guess it’s my turn?” Riku grunts, lifting Sora onto the bed.

“I can get Marluxia or someone to stitch it up,” Sora groans softly, grabbing his leg. Riku takes no time rolling up the pant leg to check on the wound. Blood has already seeped through the bandage and starts to drip down onto the bed. 

“And have them see me? I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Riku mutters and puts a hand on Sora’s leg. Sora tenses up and looks away from him before stuttering,

“Y-Yeah, you’re right. Have you ever done stitches before?” Sora says almost rudely. 

“I… I haven’t. Walk me through?” Riku keeps his hand on his leg as he reaches for the bag of medical supplies with his other hand.

“This will be fun,” Sora crossly chuckles before wincing again, placing a hand on top of Riku’s. This time it’s Riku’s turn to blush and stutter,

“Okay. What do I do first?”

 

**Sora**

 

Riku does a passable job at patching Sora’s leg up and Sora keeps himself from criticizing his stitch work. If anything, he can always go back over it later. Sora takes another swig of whiskey as Riku pulls the edges of the cut together and ties a knot. 

“If you start to feel hot or nauseated, just let me know.”

Sora nods, putting the bottle down on the nightstand. He sits up in the bed and places his pillow behind the curve in his back. The words swirl in his headspace, sentences flashing into view before quickly disappearing. 

_ Will… will he stay if I ask him? _

__ “I guess I can head on back to my room, if Saix isn’t walking around...”

“Don’t worry about him. I… I think it’d be safer if you stayed here tonight. I can sleep on the floor and-“

“Okay,” Riku mumbles before taking a seat on the bed. He suddenly reaches to place a hand on Sora’s forehead, but he doesn’t quite make it. Sora is quick to grab his wrist, yanking it with enough strength to throw off Riku’s balance. 

“I promise I’m fine,” Sora huffs before letting go of Riku’s wrist.

_ Am I? _

__ Riku is visibly concerned, his eyebrows furrowed. Sora hadn’t figured that it’d affect Riku this much. Riku lets out a long sigh and place his back against the wall. An awkward silence fills the room as they exchange occasional glances before looking back down at the floor. 

“Are you sure? We can talk about it.”

Another stunned silence, this time while they are locking eyes with each other.

 

_ This is it. _

 

Before Sora can think much else, he brushes his lips gently against Riku’s and Riku stills against him, his body tense. Sora finds himself being a bit more bold than usual as a result from the blood loss and whiskey. It sets Sora’s skin on fire and his ears turn red. Everything else disappears and a warm, fluttery feeling floats in Sora’s stomach. He pulls away slightly to see Riku’s mouth hanging open and cheeks flushed. Sora can’t help but grin like a fool as he quickly pushes Riku back into the wall next to the bed. 

“I’ll never let you go,” he mummers against his lips before kissing him again, fiercely. “You’re mine.”   
Before Riku can voice his concern, Sora grabs him by the back of his neck and presses his lips firmly against his. Riku gasps and Sora seizes the opportunity to deepen the kiss. His hold on the back of his neck holds him in place as Riku tries to shove at his chest. Riku reaches up to push his face away before Sora captures his wrist with his other hand, his vice-like grip bordering on painful. Riku resists and uses his other hand to push Sora away.   
“W-What are you doing?” Sora breathes, his voice lined with disappointment.    
“What am I doing? What are  _ you _ doing?” Riku sharply inhales, trying to catch his breath. “This... this isn’t you. You’ve kidnapped me, your lackeys have t-tortured me!” He stutters, ripping his hand away from Sora’s loosened grip. “How can you expect me to-“   
Sora lunges forward, meeting Riku’s lips with his own. Riku pushes Sora away successfully and Sora collapses onto him and out of the kiss.

“Please, just... let’s just forget everything for a minute,” Sora mumbles into him, wrapping his arms around Riku’s chest and sliding his face into his neck.   
Riku starts to protest, but stops when he hears Sora sniffling. Before he realizes what he’s doing, he’s cupping his face in his hands, bringing him up to face him. Just as expected, Sora starts to wipe at tears forming in his eyes.   
“Riku, I... I never wanted this. I never wanted any of this.” His eyes continue to glisten. “I’ve been running away from everything and-and I can’t keep doing this.”   
“Are you being serious? You know that trick won’t work on me,” Riku huffs, pushing Sora’s face away. “You’re the one who left,” Riku growls, his usual tone is cold and distant while sending an icy chill through Sora.   
Sora’s tears dry as he wipes at his face. His crying game always worked on him before. 

_ What’s changed? _

Sora already knew the answer. 

_ Everything. _

“Well... I’m here now.” Sora mutters, staring at the sheets on the bed. His heartbeat starts slowing and he cannot meet Riku’s eyes, knowing how badly he had fucked up. His chest drops as he longly exhales through his mouth and he takes the risk to look up at Riku.   
Sora gulps, not knowing what to say next. He was supposed to, had expected to drop him off at the next stop. 

_ What would the Guild say if I decided to keep him?  _

_ What would Riku say if I decided to not let him go, after all of this? _ _   
_ __ “You really messed up,” Riku mutters, “I can’t believe you thought that this would work.”

“Riku, I-I’m sorry. Really, I am,” Sora’s eyes well with genuine tears, but he blinks them away. “I know I’ve been absolutely awful to you and we can find a safe place for you-“

“You’re sorry? For everything?”

Sora takes a deep breath and exhales, “For everything.”

This time, Riku is the one to kiss him. Sora freezes, unsure of what to do next. Riku lies on top of him, caressing his wild locks of hair as they continue to kiss. Sora relaxes into him, his mind going completely blank. Only one word is left.   
_ Riku. _ _   
_ __ Sora mutters his name into his lips and pushes forward, wrapping his arms around the back of Riku’s neck. Tears spring to Sora’s eyes as he reunites with him, after so many years. He never begun to think that this would happen again, the two of them together.    
“That’s better,” Sora says uncontrollably with a grin that would glow if it were any wider, pulling him closer still. Riku pauses before finding a grip on Sora’s hips. His fingers dig into his flesh, holding him in place on the bed. Riku feels teeth sinking into his bottom lip and the air between them was hot and damp.

“ _ Fuck _ , Sora, slow down.”

“I haven’t touched you since we were teenagers. Keep going,” Sora breathes his command in between kisses, his voice has dropped from it’s usual sing-song harmony to a dirty hum. The look in Sora’s eyes when Riku pulls back is… hungry.

“Yes, sir,” Riku lets out a quiet whine before visibly shivering. Surprised by the response, Sora puts everything he has into one kiss. It’s overwhelming and needy and it makes Riku’s heart race. 

“W-Wait, Sora. You don’t need to be pulling on your stitches.”

“Shut up,” Sora breathes in between kisses, noticing the pain in his leg for only a moment. What they’re doing numbs the pain just enough.

Drunk on what they’re doing, Sora and Riku collapse into one another on the bed, boxers being thrown across the room. Hips are flush with each other and a cacophony of moans and gasps fill the room. Riku pushes Sora down onto the bed and gets on top of him. He preps Sora with ease and slides into him. 

 

“ _ Shit _ , Sora.” Riku rasps, soft skin rolling together in a way that made his heart ache. It makes Riku’s eyes roll as he caressed Sora’s hair in his hands.

“ _ Fuck _ ,” Sora cries out into the pillow, quaking underneath him and his voice already wrecked. Riku pulls on his locks as he thrusts into him, his self control dwindling by the second. Sora grunts before he’s immediately met with another thrust. Riku groans in his ear at the sentiments, twitching deep within him. His thoughts are slowly becoming undone and could feel Sora pushing back for more contact, more sensation as he quickened his pace.

They finish, losing the rhythm as the climax approached, Riku sinks into Sora. A loud and long delicious moan falls from Sora’s lips as he arches his back into him. Time slows as they lie on the bed, panting as they lean into each other limply.

“Riku,” Sora hazily said, still intoxicated by Riku’s touch and seeing stars behind his eyelids. 

“Y-Yeah?” Riku says softly, letting his head fall back to the headboard with a thunk, rubbing his exhausted eyes. 

“I’ve missed you.”

 

_ They find themselves with Sora’s hand on top of Riku’s, sitting closer than they normally do. They’ve always shared personal space ever since they were kids, but this… this was different.   _

_ “Riku, I...” he stumbles over his words, rubbing lazy circles into Riku’s hand. Riku places his hand on top of his, sending Sora’s face ablaze. Sora clears his throat when he sees Riku’s curious gaze. _

_ “What are we?” Sora chokes out. _

_ Riku sits up and turns his body towards Sora. “What do you mean?” _

_ “I mean…” He trails off, not sure how to bring this up. Riku and Sora have been growing closer day by day since they were kids and now that they’re teenagers… something has changed.  _

_ “What am I to you?” _

_ Riku cocks his head, silver eyebrows quirked, before laughing a bit. It takes Sora off guard and he starts to get aggravated.  _

Is he being serious right now?

_ He feels his chest drop before Riku closes the space between them. His lips meet Sora’s and Sora slightly yelps in surprise. It’s just a small peck, but time seems to slow for Sora, the sun stopping its descent for just a moment. Riku pulls away and softly smiles, his eyes half closed. They flutter open and Sora brings a hand to his mouth. _

_ “W-What was that for?” Sora stutters, before Riku uses his fingers to brush Sora’s lips. Sora freezes, not letting any air pass through him as Riku trails along his bottom lip. Sora feels his face grow redder as time goes by. Riku pulls away gently and takes a deep breath.  _

_ “I brought you something,” Riku exclaims before getting up to run to his bag sitting higher up on the shore. Sora turns around, still sitting on the sand, before he sees a flash of golden yellow. Riku pulls out a fairly large papou fruit and walks back over to Sora. He breaks it in half, letting the juices flow over his hands. He pauses before he slowly hands it to Sora. _

_ “Do you trust me?” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part Six coming soon! Thank you all for the wonderful comments and kudos!!! We definitely appreciate it! <3 <3


	6. Keep You in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What do you want from me? Why don't you run from me?  
> What are you wondering? What do you know?  
> Why aren't you scared of me? Why do you care for me?  
> When we all fall asleep, where do we go?  
> Come here  
> Say it, spit it out, what is it exactly?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO and welcome back to this story that is such a joy to work on! <3 I really appreciate you all reading and I hope you enjoy this addition!
> 
> Title and chapter summary taken from Billie Eilish’s song, Bury a Friend.

**Sora**

“You’ll have to earn your keep.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

Sora sighs in frustration and pinches the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

“Look, the boys won’t leave you alone unless you’re earning your keep. They see you as a prisoner right now and you have to be working on the ship for them to take you seriously.”

“Are you kidding?” Riku loudly questions, which leads to Sora holding his index finger to his lips. 

“S-Shhh! They can’t know we’re together. Do you realize what they’ll do to me?” Sora clears his throat loudly and corrects himself, “T-To us!”

Riku stays silent, staring at him.

Sora exhales sharply, “I’ll take care of Saix and make sure he’s not… you know. Causing trouble.”

Riku crosses his arms and huffs, “Are you sure? Isn’t there a way we can drop me off somewhere safe?”   
Sora pauses. 

_ After all of this, he still wants to leave? _

“I already told you, we won’t be close to any ports until tomorrow afternoon. And even then, just dropping you off is a stretch. We have to find something for you to do until then to keep the crew off your back,” Sora says, with a hint of aggravation. 

_ I don’t want him to leave yet. Why can’t he understand that? _

“It’s to keep you safe. You know that, right?” Sora mutters.

Riku stays silent for a beat before stating, “Sora… I can’t believe you used me like that.”

“Huh?” 

“You knew I was vulnerable and… you just used it to your advantage,” Riku mutters coldly. He looks up at Sora with an icy glare and Sora looks away.

“I-I wasn’t trying to, Riku. I haven’t touched you since we were teenagers,” Sora lightly chuckles. “So, you’ll have to excuse my lack of manners.”

Riku sighs deeply and lies down on the bed next to Sora.

“It’s just… you can’t just leave and expect me to fall back into your arms again.”

“I wasn’t  _ expecting  _ you to do anything,” Sora grumbles.

Another piercing silence.

“Whatever. There’s no changing your mind. I’m done talking about this,” Riku growls.

They both stay silent, avoiding each other’s glares before Riku pulls the covers over his head.

“Goodnight to you, too…” Sora trails off, before blowing out the lantern.

 

_ What have I done? _

 

**Riku**

  
_ Sora wasn’t in their - his - room after he woke up.  _

_   
_ __ _ The lightning parades across the sky while electricity flows through the air. Heavy grey clouds obscure the sky as the towering palm trees bend and whip in the wind. The rain is pouring down, drops bouncing off of the deck outside of Sora’s home. The windows rattle and groan in the wind while the doors threaten to fly from their hinges. Moisture fills the air as a heavy weight bears down on Riku’s chest. He runs over the damp wood before the strong wind knocks him off balance. He leans into the air as the booming thunder continues, the sound from the lightning reaching his ears.  _

__   
__ _ Riku runs onto the beach, his clothes and face sodden with rain. He quickly wipes at his face, tingling from blowing sand. The once inviting sunlit glade is now tinted dark blue by the darkness. The sky looks lonely, completely devoid of the diamond-bright stars that the two had just searched the other night. Taking note to step over washed-up jellyfish and sharp, broken seashells, Riku runs to the ocean. The sound of the surf washing in and out plays in an awful symphony with the rustling palm fronds.  He grinds his teeth as he steps barefoot on broken glass that had washed up from the sea. He looks down at the gash on his foot and chooses to ignore it as he gets to the water, the blood blending with the rough sea. _ __   
__       
Sora.   
__   
__ __ He sees a boat in the distance.  
__   
__ There’s no way. No way that he would do this to me, to us.  
__   
__ _ Riku realizes that he has completely collapsed when his hands hit the wet sand, the waves ferocious against his wrists. The darkness out in the ocean makes its way to him, completely surrounding his form. Riku notices he’s sinking, but he doesn’t care. He stares at the ship growing farther and farther away through bleary eyes, feeling his body grow more numb by the second. The darkness has completely encompassed Riku by this point, his tears streaming down his face with the rain. The nausea consumes him as he shakes his head in denial.  _ _   
_ __

_ “You’re all I want, all I need.” _

  
Riku wakes up with a start in time with the rolling thunder. He grabs his face, panting and feeling the sweat dripping steadily from his forehead. His hands shake as he puts them down on top of his blanket.  
  
_ I’m here. I’m safe _ .  
  
A white-knuckled grip hangs on to the sheets as Riku tries to calm down. He shakily breathes in and out as he fights back tears that have already begun to fall.   
  
__ Sora.  
  
His eyes dart around the room. It isn’t Sora’s room from his dream; it’s dark and cold as ice, goosebumps starting to spread across his arms and legs. Several flags adorn the walls next to knickknacks and glasses fill the shelves. Ornate dressers and cabinets line the walls and there’s a main door to the hallway along with a window to the outer ship.   
  
His eyes finally fall on Sora lying next to him. Riku stares at his sleeping body, his chest moving gently with every exhale. His lips are slightly parted, breathing softly with a slight snore. His eyelashes brush against the top of his cheeks, his freckles almost dancing across his face in the pale moonlight. Without those magnetic eyes watching him and that devilish grin of his, he seems so... vulnerable.  
  
Riku tries to halt his tears, but he unwillingly lets out a sob. Sora stirs and his eyes flutter open before they widen at the sight of him.   
  
“Riku? What’s wrong, are you okay?” He says, immediately sitting up and placing his hands on Riku’s shoulders.  
  
Riku trembles and inhales deeply before continuing.   
  
“I-I’m fine.”  
  
“Are you sure? You don’t seem fine.”  
  
“I promise.” Riku kisses Sora on his forehead, dripping some tears onto his cheeks.

“Does this mean… you forgive me?”

Riku sighs and places his hands on Sora’s shoulders.

“I’m just glad you’re back.”

 

\--

 

The sun overhead sets the lash mark on Riku’s head afire as he scrubs the stairwell clean. His muscles trembled with each stroke, a tender reminder, that he would have to use his arms to work. In order to earn his keep, Riku needs to scrub every inch of the deck before preparing dinner for the crew. This was the only way he could stay safe, Sora said. Riku looks around at the ship, taking note of crewmates running back and forth over the deck, preparing to leave port. He hadn’t seen Sora for a few hours; he must have been running errands outside of the ship. Riku’s heart stops and he is in the worst kind of spotlight when Saix starts to make his way towards him. 

“You think you’re safe, huh?”

Riku looks up at the three men surrounding him, kicking his soap bucket over. The waves lap furiously against the boat as he feels his breath shorten.

“I-uh…” He stumbles over his words, his hair covering his eyes as Saix puts a hand on his shoulder.

“But the captain isn’t around, is he?”

_ Oh. Oh no. _

Riku feels his response caught in his throat as Saix’s hands wrap around it. He tries to yell for help, but the hands tighten around his windpipe as he lets out a moan. He is quickly thrown to the ground, his face hitting the deck with a ferocity. He bites his tongue, tasting metallic blood. He groans again before placing his hands on the deck. He wasn’t going to let him do this. He couldn’t -

His thought process is interrupted by Saix’s boot stomping down on his head. His ears start to ring and his vision goes blurry as he sees more of the crew rushing over. They stop once they see Saix’s piercing gaze and helplessly watch as he pushes down harder on Riku’s skull. He leans down closer to his face before whispering,

“I could crush you right now. There’s nothing that the boy can do to help you.”

_ Sora. Please come back. _

The pressure continues to crush his head and he starts to lose consciousness. He barely hears footsteps storming towards the deck.

“What the hell is going on?!”

Saix’s boot slides off of his face, leaving grime on the side of his cheek. Riku’s sight starts to sharpen as he sees Sora standing next to him, leaning down to help him. 

“I said what the  _ fuck _ is going on? What is the meaning of this?” Sora grips onto Riku’s shoulder as he starts to sit up, still reeling from his attack.

“Your boy toy is getting a little too comfortable around here. He needs to be shown who’s in charge.” Saix looks around at the crew, who nod their heads unwillingly. 

“I’m in charge,” Sora growls, jerking his head towards Saix. He stands up and stares him down, their height difference making it difficult for Sora to seem threatening. 

“Then start acting like it.” Saix steps forward before Sora steps backwards towards Riku. 

“Go wait for me in our room,” he mutters, placing a firm hand on Riku’s shoulder. Riku stands up, wiping both the soap and the grime off of his face. His eyes sting and well up with tears before he can realize what’s happening.    
“W-What?” Riku turns to face him, but Sora has his eyes on the ground. He can see his fist balled up, knuckles turning an alarming shade of white. 

_ Our room? _ He thinks, feeling his face tint red.   
  
“Go to our room. Now,” He growls louder while grabbing Riku’s wrist too tightly and breaking his thought process with a slice. He looks him in the eyes with such a rage unlike what he’s seen before. He throws Riku’s wrist back at him and takes a step forward towards his crew. Saix stands there with his arms crossed, still pleased with his actions. Riku catches himself glaring at him, even though he’s terrified of his intentions and what he would have done to him if Sora hadn’t shown up. Sora probably thought the same as he takes a few more steps before looking over his shoulder.   
  
“I’m not going to tell you again,” He says low and coldly. Something in his tone of voice tells Riku that he really didn’t want to see what was going to happen next. Riku slowly backs off before turning around and hearing Sora’s footsteps getting closer to Saix. But instead of going to the room, Riku stops in the hallway and peeks around the corner. Sora is already delivering a quick kick to Saix’s stomach, who groans in response.  Sora commands two of his crewmates, Marluxia and Lexaeus, to hold Saix down on his knees. 

 

**Sora**

“Hold him down,” Sora says sternly, reaching for his knife. He leans close to Saix’s face. 

Saix smirks deviously, spitting onto the deck,

“We both know you aren’t going to do anything. You don’t have the balls,” Saix laughs.

Sora leans in close to Saix’s face with an evil smile.

“You know very well what happened to the last Captain. I’d suggest you to keep your mouth shut before this gets worse for you.”

_ Liar. Liar. Liar.  _

Sora pauses before bringing a knife to Saix’s face. Saix, still laughing, dares Sora,  “C’mon. Quit embarrassing yourself.”

 

_ “Quit embarrassing yourself, you’ll only make it worse.” _

_ Sora trembles and almost drops the knife in his hand outstretched in front of him.  _

_ “Get back to work before I send you back to the brig.” _

_ Captain Xemnas huffs a laugh and lunges forward to intimidate Sora. His laughter is cut short when the knife is plunged into his chest. He stutters and looks down at the teenage boy’s hand on the handle of the knife. Sora gasps and pulls away from the knife, bringing his hands to his mouth. Xemnas chuckles before collapsing onto the floor of his room, blood pooling underneath him.  _

_ It was an accident. _

_ You’re an imposter. _

 

Blood pours from the diagonal cut from above Saix’s eyebrow across to below his other eye. Before his scream is over, Sora makes an identical cut on the other side, forming an X across Saix’s face. Marluxia and Lexaeus keep their expressions straight as the rest of the crew members wince, all gathered around the scene. The two throw Saix onto the deck and Saix grabs at his face with both of his hands, still shuddering and groaning.

“Now then. If any of you even think of disobeying me again, you’ll find yourself matching Saix here. Get back to work. We’re leaving,” Sora barks, shaking his head and heading back to the room, too quickly for Riku to get out of sight. 

Sora stops when he meets eyes with him and regret flashes over his face. Sora hurries over to Riku and puts his hands on his shoulders.

“H-How much of that did you see?” Sora stumbles over his words, not caring if the crew members see his contact with Riku. Saix’s groans fade away as he retreats to the bottom floor of the ship to tend to his wounds. Riku is stunned silent. 

“Sora, I… I didn’t know you were… capable of that.”

“Please, Riku… he hurt you!” Sora exclaims, “I couldn’t just… stand by and let it happen!”

Riku calmly moves Sora’s hands away from his shoulders. “Can we talk somewhere else?” He murmurs, looking at the crew behind Sora, still standing in silence.

Sora hesitates before nodding and Riku grabs his hand before leading him to Sora’s room. The couple refuses to exchange words on the way there. Sora walks in, nervously running a hand through his hair. Riku follows behind and shuts the door.

“I took it too far… didn’t I?” Sora mutters, bringing both hands to his face. Riku walks up and pulls the hands away gingerly and holds them.

“Sora… he deserves every bit of punishment you can lash out.” 

“Huh?”   
“I would have done the same thing if I knew it wouldn’t have gotten me killed,” Riku speaks in a hushed tone.

Sora sighs deeply and squeezes Riku’s hands a little tighter.

“I need a distraction.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading this chapter! Comments and kudos are highly appreciated! We’re getting closer to the end of the story, so it may be a little longer in between chapters being uploaded. Hope you all enjoyed! <3


	7. Ocean Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Burning cities  
> And napalm skies  
> Fifteen flares inside those ocean eyes  
> Your ocean eyes  
> No fair  
> You really know how to make me cry  
> When you gimme those ocean eyes  
> I'm scared  
> I've never fallen from quite this high  
> Falling into your ocean eyes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO and welcome to another chapter! I’ve been working on another fic on top of this and pssssst! it’s another Soriku AU! I hope you all enjoy and look forward to a new story once this one is wrapped up. We’re getting close! <3 <3
> 
> Chapter summary and title are from Billie Eilish’s song, Ocean Eyes.

**Riku**

 

Sora leans his head back and a low, rumbling moan crawls up his throat that makes his lips vibrate. Riku is on his lap with his mouth latched on to the Captain’s neck. 

 

“What are you doing?” Sora chuckles, another moan escaping him involuntarily.

 

Riku roughly grabs Sora’s shoulders while sucking at the skin below his ear, teeth scraping at the spot. He starts another hickey lower on his neck, forcing a groan from Sora. Sora runs his fingers gently over Riku’s scars on his chest and goes to kiss them once Riku is unlatched from his neck. Riku moans, every kiss sending tingles up his body.

 

“You’re breathtaking,” Riku breathes before continuing. Riku looks into his ocean eyes before Sora grabs his jaw and pulls his lips to his own. Riku promptly swallows Sora’s whines with a searing kiss. A shuddering breath escapes both of them as Sora’s bare chest is pressed flush against his. A dizzying rush of  _ want  _ rushes through Riku as they kiss again. Riku trails down Sora’s body, leaving tiny marks down his chest. He kisses and sucks in various places all over his inner thighs.

 

“ _ Fuck.  _ Babe- babe, slow down,” Sora mutters, grabbing a fistful of Riku’s hair. 

 

Riku revels in all the small noises he elicited from Sora and it isn’t long until he’s clinging to him and Sora’s hips are stuttering.

 

There’s a sudden knock at the door, interrupting Riku’s attempt to mark him. Sora groans audibly and gently pushes him off of his lap to go to the door, not bothering to put a shirt or pants on. Riku starts to get up, but Sora waves him away, clearly aggravated. He cracks the door open and stands in the doorway in his boxers glaring at Demyx.

 

“Oh! S-Sir, dinner’s… ready?” His sentence, laced with curiosity, ended as a question as his eyes fall on the numerous hickeys on Sora’s neck and bare chest before trailing down to his legs...

 

“Great.” Sora heaves before slamming the door, almost hitting Demyx’s nose.

 

Riku cannot help, but laugh as Sora’s face grows redder as he gets closer to the bed.

 

“Do you think he saw me?” Riku chuckled, running his hands through his hair to get it out of his eyes.

 

“I don’t care. Keep doing what you were doing,” Sora commands, sending goosebumps across Riku’s arms and neck.

 

“On your knees.”

  
  


**Sora**

 

Sora runs a hand over his soft skin, covered in angry, red marks from his neck to his inner thighs; a few blossoming into a deep violet. Each and every one brought back a flash of Riku’s lips against his skin while his hand had worked its way below. He turns back to Riku, who is sporting a smug smile with the sheets pulled up his bare chest.

“What?” Riku smirks.

“Maybe we went… a little too far?” Sora chuckles, still observing the numerous hickeys in the mirror. He laughs before swiveling around and walking towards the bed.

“You know I’ll have to make you pay for that, right?” Sora laughs, a warm rumble. 

“I’m so scared.” Riku teases before Sora jumps on him.

They wrestle for a bit, laughter filling the room. Riku throws Sora across the bed and Sora snorts, bringing a hand to his face as tears stream down his eyes. They don’t stop streaming as his face turns into a wince.

“Sora… are you-you okay?”

Sora starts to weep while bringing his knees to his chest. Riku lets him cry for a few minutes before Sora mutters,

“Why did we ever stop this?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… why did I leave?”

Riku is taken aback, unsure of what to say. His anger that he has been holding onto for eight years has disappeared at the sight of him.

“We had something so… perfect. And I ruined it.”

Riku crawls over before gently grabbing Sora’s face.

“Hey… you didn’t ruin anything. You were following your dream.”

Sora lets out a sarcastic chuckle. “Heh… look where that got me,” Sora mumbles, burying his face into his knees. He deeply sighs and puts his face in his hands, dramatically wiping away his tears.

“I never should have left.” He groans, now getting angry with himself. Riku shakes his head and puts his hand on Sora’s. Riku gently runs his thumb over the top of his hand before bringing it up to kiss it. 

“I just… I can’t handle this anymore. Look what they’ve done to you because of me!” Sora exclaims and the guilt starts to consume him as his mind races.

 

_ “Hurry it up.”  _

_ Impatience puts an edge to Xemnas’s voice as he stands over Sora. He has his arms crossed and he taps his arm with his finger. Sora starts to scrub the deck faster, feeling his arms burn with every tender stroke. Xemnas kneels down beside Sora and Sora stops to look up at him, only to be met by the back of his hand. He yelps in pain and brings his hand to his own face, feeling the familiar sting across where he had been slapped before. He has only been on the ship for a few days and has already received countless punishments. Eventually the pain faded in favor of a heavy sense of numbness.  _

_ “Do you even want to  _ be  _ here? Do you even  _ deserve  _ to be upon my ship?” _

_ “Y-Yes sir!” Another slap before a kick to the stomach. Sora yelps again, crumpling into himself as the bucket falls over and covers him in soapy water.  _

_ “I get to decide what you deserve and I think you deserve a night in the brig to change your attitude.”  _

_ “No, sir! I promise I can-“ _

_ He is suddenly grabbed by the collar of his shirt and dragged up to his feet and above the ground. He struggles, bringing his arms up to Xemnas’s, clinging onto his shirt.  _

_ “How dare you talk back to me? I am your captain, your superior. Do you want to be thrown overboard?” _

_ Silence and a grim expression falls over Sora’s face.  _

_ “Answer me,” Xemnas mutters coldly, gripping tighter onto Sora’s shirt, feeling the fabric start to tear and rip.  _

_ “N-No sir…” Sora is dropped onto the deck, his legs twisted underneath him. He grunts again, quieter this time and stays on the ground.  _

_ “If you’re not done scrubbing every inch of this deck before sunrise, well… I hope you’re a good swimmer,” Xemnas huffs a laugh paired with an evil grin and continues to chuckle as he walks away. Sora waits for him to enter his chambers before he sits back up. He rubs the ripped neck of his shirt and gives thanks that it wasn’t his neck. _

 

_ This wouldn’t be the last of Xemnas’s assaults.  _

 

Sora, lost in his own thoughts, begins to hyperventilate.

 

“Sora, pull it together,” Riku says out of concern, placing his hands over Sora’s. Sora shakes and grabs Riku’s hands quickly and roughly, still breathing rapidly. 

 

“I-I can’t stand up to Saix after this. I’m not s-strong enough…!” Sora exclaims in between breaths. 

 

“Then… why don’t we leave?” Riku suggests, scooting closer to him. Sora lies his head on Riku’s chest and his breaths start to slow. Leaving? How could he leave his crew? How could he  _ stay  _ with his crew for much longer? After everything they have done to Riku and him? Sora deeply inhales and exhales before sitting up to meet Riku’s eyes. 

 

“Let’s run away together. We can sneak out tomorrow night while we’re grabbing supplies from Hollow Bastion. The council, they can protect us as we make a new life for us,” Sora chokes on his own words, believing that they may actually have a shot at this. 

Riku pauses for long enough to scare Sora. He looks down and chuckles before pulling Sora closer to him. Sora collapses into his chest before wrapping his arms around him.

“That sounds like a plan,” Riku mutters warmly. 

Sora squeezes Riku before starting to sniffle again. Riku sighs affectionately and pulls him tighter, rubbing his back.

“We could go back home,” Riku mutters before smiling.

Riku nuzzles his face into Sora’s errant locks, the wayfaring winds blowing through the room’s window.   
“You’re my home.” Sora breathes into Riku’s chest. His voice trails off while tears crash into his vision like a tsunami.    
  


“You’re my home.”

 

-

 

_ Rain starts to pour and cicadas are crying as Sora grabs his packed bag from his closet. He holds it to his chest and looks back at Riku asleep in his bed. His arms are curled around a pillow and his legs are tangled over and under blankets. His silver hair barely obscuring his eyes fluttered shut with dark eyelashes. His chest slightly rising and falling with each breath while he slumbers. _

God, I’ll miss you. 

_ Sora covers his mouth, trying to stifle a sob building in his throat.  _

Why am I doing this?

_ Sora shakes his head and looks out the window. The ship has already been docked and Xemnas was surely waiting on him.  _

There’s no way I can back out now.

_ Sora closes the door behind him as quietly as he can muster and starts to jog, feet hitting the cold sand. He looks up and notices the last of the crew starting to untie the knots holding the ship to the port. He runs. There isn’t a way he can scream to get their attention; he can’t risk waking up the rest of the islanders. He quickens his pace until his steps become leaps. The harsh wind whips hair back from his face as his heart starts pumping. Focusing on the ship in front of him, he starts to sprint quicker. The ground blurs beneath him and the steady pound of his footsteps echoes in his ears. He had been dreading running away ever since he made that deal with Xemnas, but this surge of adrenaline has… completely changed him. His foot nearly slips out from underneath him as he hops onto the docks. A nearby pirate stops untying the last of the knots and puts his hands on his hips. _

_ “You’re late.” _

_ “I-I know, I’m sorry,” Sora huffs, sweat building on the nape of his neck. He puts his hands on his knees to catch his breath. _

_ “Well, are you coming?” _

_ Sora straightens himself out, pushing his hair out of his face. He balls his hands into two fists and starts to walk forward. _

_ “I’m ready.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU so much for reading this newest chapter! We’re getting close to the ending and it’s so bittersweet. Hehe, comments and kudos are always highly appreciated! <3 <3


	8. Lay Me Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All alone, alone again  
> No one lends a helping hand  
> I have waited, I have waited  
> Takes it's toll, my foolish pride  
> How long before I see the light  
> I have waited, I have waited  
> For you to lay me down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s no April Fools joke that the next part is uploaded now and OH BOY THIS IS A BIG ONE. Hope you all enjoy! <3
> 
> Chapter title and summary come from All the Pretty Girls by Kaleo.

**Riku**

A hand grasping over his mouth shocks him awake, along with a knife to his throat. His eyes open immediately, seeing the back of Sora’s sleeping back. He starts to reach out to him before he feels the knife begin to press underneath his jawline. 

“Let’s take a walk,” the intruder whispers, Riku immediately recognizing the cruel voice’s owner.

Saix drags Riku out of bed, careful not to wake up the captain. Riku lets out a soft groan trying to wrestle out of Saix’s arms. 

 

_ Please, God, Sora. Please wake up. _

 

His prayers remain unanswered as Saix pulls him out of the room, the knife kissing his neck. Riku stands up straight and lets Saix lead the way. He loosens his grip on Riku and they walk together to the deck. He sees Xaldin and Xigbar sitting by the balcony, each with their own weapons drawn. Xaldin is playing with his knife, twirling it around his fingers. Xigbar is waiting impatiently, tapping his foot. He stutters,

“W-What if he wakes up, Saix? What will we do?”

“That’s why we’re going to be quick, dipshit,” Saix pushes Riku out from him, letting him go from the knife. Riku immediately turns around to face him and braces for an attack, but Xaldin rushes over and grabs his arm. He twists it behind his back and Riku lets out a yelp as pain shoots through his right arm.

“Keep him quiet!” Saix growls while looking at his knife.

Riku starts to tremble under the weight of Xigbar’s body pressure on his arm, completely incapacitated. Tears spring in his eyes, but he bites the inside of his cheek, not ready to let Saix win.

“You know, this could be way less painful…” Xigbar teased, pushing Riku’s arm harder. Riku’s knees buckle and he resists falling onto his knees as he continues to fight back tears.

“Beg.” Saix steps forward, holding his knife to Riku’s face.

“I… w-what?” Riku spits out, his entire body shaking now.

Saix steps closer with a vicious twist to his mouth while making a small vertical slice down his face. “Beg and maybe it’ll go by faster.” 

Riku winces in pain, the wound already flaring up the left side of his face. He pants and looks down at the floor.

 

_ Wake up. Wake up, you idiot. Please. _

 

Saix and Xigbar both push Riku down to the deck, almost breaking his arm in the process. Riku falls onto his hands and knees and sharply exhales through his mouth, still reeling from before.

 

_ This is it. This is the last time I’ll be able to think of him. _

 

“Well? We can make this go all night if you want to.” Saix says with a baleful look, before kicking Riku in the side. He falls over and curls into a ball on the plank flooring. He mutters something unintelligible before coughing. 

“P-Please…” he tries to whisper, barely audible. Xigbar brings a hand to his ear and kneels down besides him.

“What? Sorry, we couldn’t quite catch that.” He pulls Riku’s hair, exposing his neck to the pale moonlight, his skin like ivory. 

“Please, God… I’m… begging you.” Riku coughs out, feeling hair being ripped from his scalp. Xigbar throws his head back to the ground with a loud thud. 

“That’s better…” he gently mutters, stepping back as Saix walks over to Riku’s crumpled body. Saix hoists Riku up while Xaldin grabs some ropes.

“Just in case you get any funny ideas…” Xaldin murmurs while starting to bind Riku’s wrists together. Riku hangs his head low, figuring that it was pointless to try to fight back. The men roughly push Riku onto the mast, wrapping the ropes around him tightly and tying them in the back. 

“Your boyfriend isn’t going to be in charge for much longer.” Saix growls, pulling on the ropes to make sure they’re secure.

“Not like he had much power to begin with.” Xigbar chuckles before eyeing the door to the main rooms, fearful that he might have been listening. Still nothing.

“He won’t let you do this.”

Saix pauses and begins to laugh deeply. “I’m sorry?”

Riku lifts his head and glares at him, watching Xigbar from the corner of his eye grabbing another knife from his belt.

“Y-You’re…” Riku sputtered, “... lucky to have him as a captain and I know that he won’t let you-“

Saix’s fist meets with Riku’s face at such a velocity that he loses his vision for a few seconds. He lets out a deep groan and his head hangs back down, while bright circles of color dance around in front of his eyes.

“Don’t talk back to me.” Saix wipes the blood off his knuckles where he punched Riku in the mouth. It starts to trail down Riku’s chin as he looks back up at Saix. Saix gets his knife and pushes the ropes out of the way to expose Riku’s abdomen. He sticks his knife about an inch deep into his skin. Riku lets out a sharp exhale before starting to hyperventilate at the sight of blood pouring from his stomach. Riku’s vision starts to crackle black and Saix looks up at him with an evil grin, smiling like an absolute maniac. Riku’s fear cuts him wide open as the knife drags across his skin.

Saix’s wicked smile disappears as he is met with a sword to the back of his neck. 

“Drop it.”

Saix leaves the knife in Riku’s stomach and turns around, hands up. He meets Sora’s stare with his own. He starts to chuckle, which turns into a laugh, a horrifying laugh. Sora looks past him at Riku and rushes over at the sight of the knife plunged into his abdomen.

“Riku!” He gasps, kneeling next to him and taking no time pulling some sheets from the stairwell to stop the bleeding. Blood begins to seep through his clothes at a great speed and Sora begins to work through the ropes, cutting each one with his knife. Not a word is said between anyone on the ship as Sora frees Riku from his binds. Riku falls into him, still breathing heavily and slightly choking on the taste of blood escaping his mouth.

“Riku, what… what did they do to you?” Sora drops his sword and he holds Riku’s face in his hands, being extremely gentle as he wipes the blood away from Riku’s lips and starts to wrap the sheet around him. He pulls the knife out slowly before plugging the wound with the fabric. 

“Not enough.” Saix finishes laughing, wiping what appeared to be tears from his eyes. “No, he deserved worse. A lot worse.”

“This ends right now.”

“Oh, does it now? Doesn’t he mean anything to you,  _ Captain _ ?” He stops dead on the last word, his smile turning into a grimace. “So what exactly will you do to me?” He mutters, stepping towards the two. 

 

**Sora**

 

“I… I’ll fucking kill you.” Sora growls, the words foreign to him, even with everything that he has ruined, everything he has  _ destroyed _ . 

“Excuse me?” Saix says while taking another step forward, about to break into another laugh. Xaldin and Xigbar stay far behind, staring at the scene.

“I’ll kill you!” Sora shouts, echoing out into the sea as he lurches forward, knife in hand. He kicks the sword from earlier away towards the lifeboats. Before he can take a slice at him, Saix grabs Sora’s wrist mid-air and twists it. Sora gasps and drops the knife, while trying to pull away from his grasp. Riku rushes forward and pulls Sora’s hand away from Saix, wincing from his wound. Saix snarls at the two and goes to strike Riku. Riku falls to the ground with a loud thud as Sora jumps onto Saix. They wrestle for a minute, punches being thrown from both sides. Sora pins Saix down and starts to go at his face before Xigbar and Xaldin pick him up off his feet.

“What the  _ fuck  _ are you two doing? I am your captain!”

“Not anymore.” Xigbar laughs, jerking Sora towards him. 

Xigbar’s laughter is cut short as he is stabbed in the shoulder. He drops Sora, along with Xaldin, and yells in anguish. Riku drops the knife and rushes to Sora.

“Run!” Sora screams, pulling Riku alongside him as they run to the opposite end of the boat. Blood trails down Riku’s leg as he meets Sora at the edge. Sora looks down at the ocean and then back at Riku before reaching the pulley system above him.

“Boys, if you want to stay on this ship, you better get me their fucking heads.” Saix groans, pointing at the two. 

 

**Riku**

 

Riku grabs Sora’s sword as Sora is working his way through the escape rafts and brings it in front of him just in time to block Xigbar’s attack. In the time he spent on The Highwind, he never had to fight off blood hungry pirates. The situation posed as a perfect opportunity to test his sword skills. Xigbar goes towards his neck and Riku quickly dodges before grunting in pain. The blood still trailed down his stomach and leg, pain shooting up his abdomen. He swipes at Xigbar and gets him across the stomach. Xigbar groans in pain and drops his sword before falling to his knees, grabbing the wound. Xaldin grabs his two spears and runs towards them, a spear for each of them threatening to impale them. Riku holds out his sword and braces himself, closing his eyes. He opens them after the crash and sees Sora in front of him, holding both of the spears off with another sword. 

“Sora, w-what are you doing?”

“Saving you.”

Sora forcefully pushes Riku back into the rescue boat. Before Riku can argue, Sora is pushing Xaldin to his knees and is starting to cut the rope. As the boat creaks with Riku’s weight, he tries to reach out, to touch him just one last time.

“Sora, please. There’s enough room, c’mon!” Riku’s voice is laced with desperation as he swipes at Sora’s hand, just barely missing him.

 

“I love you.”

 

Riku stops dead in his tracks, his heart pounding in his ears as the rest of the world goes silent. The waves stop, the boat stops, Saix’s lackeys stop. Everything stops in place and only Sora’s face of absolute despair breaks through.

“I love you,” He repeats as the rope is severed. 

The boat falls onto the sea while Riku screams. He looks up at Sora to see two sets of hands grab him. They flip him around and Riku sees multiple blows to Sora’s face and body before the boat hits the water. Riku almost falls out of the rescue raft, screaming his name again and again. 

 

-

 

_ “Hey, slow down! Would you just wait for me?” Sora asks, completely out of breath. He trails behind Riku just barely, running as fast as his legs will carry him. It’s the day of Sora’s tenth birthday and Sora and Riku are off playing their usual games. _

_ “Giving up already? Come on, Sora!” Riku exclaims, equally out of breath and looks back at Sora who has started to stop. _ _  
_ __ _ “That’s enough! I can’t run anymore!” Sora yells, defeated. He puts his hands to his knees while catching his breath. “Why are you in such a rush anyway?” _

_ Riku laughs and walks back to Sora before slapping his back playfully.  _

_ “Don’t you wanna get to work on the raft?” _

_ “Huh?” Sora lifts his head to look up at Riku, but Riku has already begun walking again. He loses his footing as he rushes forward towards him. “Whatdya mean?” _

_ “We’ve talked about this!” _

_ “I didn’t think you were serious!” _

_ Riku lightly hits Sora over the head when he catches up to him. _

_ “Dummy. Aren’t you wanting to see what’s out there?” _

_ “Yeah, but…” _

 

_ “How far would a raft take us?” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU for reading this part! Kudos and comments are always highly appreciated! <3 <3


	9. Bleed the Way I Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You need to know I got the bones  
> Rollin' hard against the floor  
> And if you left, I'd break until the little pieces felt no more  
> No more  
> Well these fights sure do take a lot outta me“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO AND THANK YOU FOR BEING PATIENT! I hope I didn’t drive you all *too* crazy with that wait. Here’s part nine of this wonderful ride and I really just wanna thank all my readers. You all make my day with every view and every comment. <3
> 
> Chapter title and summary from Crazy Bird - Wild Child.

**Sora**

 

Sora’s vision goes darker with every blow and he can taste copper in his blood dripping from his mouth. He can vaguely make out Saix’s laughter as he is picked up by his arms by Xigbar and Xaldin once they’re finished beating him. Sora risks looking up at Saix, his vision still fuzzy. Saix’s stare set Sora’s nerves on edge with its weight and he feels himself visibly shudder. Saix pulls a pistol from his hip and points it towards where Sora can only assume is Riku’s boat.

“Stop!”

Saix pauses and glances over at Sora.

“P-Please. You already have me, just let him be,” Sora coughs out before Xaldin grabs his face.

“Do you want us to throw him over, boss?”

“No… keep him. I want him to suffer,” Saix says through his teeth, smiling like a wild animal. He has a deranged look in his eyes as he walks over to Sora. Sora tries to look away, but Xaldin roughly turns his face towards Saix. Sora struggles anyway, trying as desperately as he can to escape their grasp. He’s met with a punch to the nose, feeling the cartilage snap before the pain explodes over his face. He shakes violently, yelling in pain. Every blink hurts as his face throbs in time with his rushed heartbeat. Saix laughs as the blood gushes from Sora’s nose, dripping onto his collarbone. Sora feels nausea consume him and without missing a beat, Saix punches him in the gut. The boys drop Sora onto the ground and Sora brings his hands to his face. He groans into them, trying to stop the bleeding to no avail. Saix huffs another laugh in time with Sora starting to cough more blood. Saix kicks Sora over onto his side and leans down.

“You’re going to wish you were never born,” Saix mutters wickedly. 

“I can’t wait,” Sora groans sarcastically.

“Even after losing everything, you still manage to have that attitude,” Saix says, shaking his head and grinning.

He chuckles darkly, walking circles around Sora. Suddenly, Sora lunges towards Saix’s legs and tackles him to the ground. Before Sora can land a punch to his face, Saix slices Sora’s arm from the elbow down in a shallow cut. Sora yells and grabs onto his arm before Saix roughly pushes him over. Sora lets go of his arm and goes back to Saix, both hands outstretched. He is able to grab Saix’s knife, but is immediately punched in the face again, sending a new wave of pain up his face. He moans and pauses long enough for Saix to have the upper hand.

Saix wraps his arm around Sora’s neck in a choke hold. Sora rapidly brings his hands up and claws at Saix’s forearm and bicep, leaving bloody lines. Saix continues to constrict Sora, just enough to cut off the blood supply to his brain. 

_ Riku. I’ll find you. _

Sora struggles for a minute before everything fades to black. Saix drops his unconscious to the ground and motions for Xaldin and Xigbar to drag him back into the brig.

  
  


**Riku**

 

A hour or so has passed and The Organization has already vanished out of sight. Riku’s voice is hoarse from screaming and he is still drying from when he tried to swim back to the ship. He lost sight of Sora once he was on the water and he is already assuming the worst and more.

_ They’ve killed him. They’ve killed him and it’s all my fault. _

Riku yells in a mix of frustration and mourning and brings his hands to his face, crumpling into a little ball at the end of the raft. He starts to sob again, seeing Sora’s face in his mind right after he confessed. His chest ached as he remembered his last words, very possibly the last words he’s ever say to anyone. The sob bursts out of his throat as he shakes. Exhausted from the last few days, Riku falls asleep while weeping, curled up in a small ball at the end of the boat.

 

He wakes up with a start when someone shakes him awake. He brings his hands in front of him in defense and closes his eyes.

“P-Please, just… just stay back.”

“Woah! I wasn’t trying to pick a fight.”

“Huh?” Riku moves his hands to see a younger man with errant blonde locks in front of him. He’s well dressed in a peacoat and nice boots. He smiles sweetly and offers a hand to Riku. Riku looks behind him and sees a ship almost as big as The Organization sitting in the water. 

“Welcome to The Twilight. Name’s Roxas.”

 

Riku takes his hand and stands up on the boat, a little wobbly at first. The boat shakes and creaks underneath them and they both hold on to each other. Riku feels a new wave of nausea flow up to his throat and tries to hold back from puking. Roxas pulls the boat close to the ship and grabs onto the rope ladder. He gestures towards it, to let Riku go ahead of him. Riku takes a deep inhale before climbing onboard.

 

“So, where are you from?” Roxas asks while finishing up Riku’s bandages.

“D-Destiny Islands, originally,” Riku shivers underneath the blanket they had given to him. A taller red headed man with his hair trailing over his shoulders walks over and gives him a piece of bread. Riku winces in pain from the cut in his abdomen and runs his fingers over the bandages.

“Hey, I’m Axel,” he says. “You look like hell.”

“I feel like it,” Riku mutters.

“Sorry. What exactly happened?”

“I… I don’t know where to start. I was onboard a ship with my crew and… we were attacked by a huge black ship with black sails.”

“That sounds like The Organization.” Axel confirms.

Roxas turns around to face him and says, “How did you know that? It could have been any ship.” He turns back to Riku, who is nodding.

Axel continues, “I used to be on the ship before Sora took over. We’ve come across-“

Riku’s head lifts up and he asks, “Wait, you know Sora?”

“Of course. He’s ruthless,” Axel trails off, probably thinking of times past. “Xemnas was worse, but I snuck off the ship before they let that kid take over.”

“I need to get back to him,” Riku says before trying to get up. He shakes and collapses back into the bench. Roxas gently places a hand on his forehead.

“Are you feeling okay? There’s no way you meant what you just said.”

“No, I… he’s changed. Please, we have to help him.” Riku feels tears building up in his eyes, threatening to spill over.

Roxas and Axel share a look and then look over their crew. Everyone for the most part looks hesitant to help this stranger who’s just come aboard their ship, their home. Roxas sighs and turns back to Riku. He starts to say something, but Axel interjects,

“We can’t just go in there ready to fight for someone we haven’t even met.”

“Axel, you of all people should know that it’s kill or be killed. Saix is going to be pissed when he finds out Riku is still alive and who do you think he’s going to go after?” He shoots Axel a glare until Axel nods out of agreement, shrugging. 

 

“How can we help?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOO BOY we’re really in it now!! Hope you all enjoyed. The fic is finished now, so I’m back to a regular posting schedule. Can’t wait for you all to read the next part! Please feel free to comment, it’d make my day. <3


	10. Glory and Gore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You've been drinking like the world was gonna end (it didn't)  
> Took a shiner from the fist for your best friend (go figure)  
> It's clear that someone's gotta go  
> We mean it, but I promise we're not mean  
> And the cry goes out (ha)  
> They lose their minds for us, and how it plays out (ha)  
> Now we're in the ring and we're coming for blood.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU GUYS AND WELCOME BACK! We’re super close to the end now and I’m just so excited for you all to finish this story with me. Once again, thanks for being here. Hope you enjoy. <3
> 
> Chapter title and summary come from Lorde’s song, Glory and Gore.

**Sora**

 

Sora came to with a blinding headache, eyes closed against the dull pain. The back of his skull and the area between his eyes throb and he bites out a curse. He moves his hand to inspect the damage - except that it refuses to move. Something is restraining his arms and legs too. A steady dripping echoes all around him and he opens his eyes all the way to see that he’s been chained to the wall. How long had he been out? A tremor of panic vibrates in his core. 

_ Riku. _

__ He violently shakes the chains, trying his hardest to escape. The slight tremor increases in intensity until he physically shakes in time with it. He feels hard, sharp metal dig into his flesh, but he keeps battering at the cuffs. They dig in deeper and form red lines. He snaps his head back, the impact dizzying him for a moment. He feels the panic lodge into his heart when he sees Saix’s golden eyes in the darkness.

“Let me out of here, Saix!” The yelling stretches the skin over his nose and he lets his aching body collapse against the wall, wincing in pain.

“I’m just starting to have some fun, Captain,” Saix mutters wickedly before grabbing his face. He jerks it closer to him, the clanging of chains echoing throughout the brig. Sora draws in ragged breath after another, shaking. He starts to yell for help, but Saix forces a hand over his mouth.

“They don’t answer to you anymore. You know that.”

Sora bites down on Saix’s hand and Saix grunts in surprise before slapping his other hand across Sora’s face. Sora thrusts forward with every muscle he has, gritting his teeth when the chains only bind him tighter. Sora coughs, sending a thin spray of crimson blood onto the wooden floor.

“Fuck off,” Sora mutters. 

Saix lunges at Sora and cuts just above his left eye, sending a scream of agony out of Sora’s throat.

“If I hear you talking back to me, the cuts will go deeper and bigger.”

“Why don’t you just get it over with?”

“Get  _ what  _ over with, Captain?”

“It’d be incredibly easy to kill me, Saix, we both know this,” Sora groans, trying to blink around the blood dripping in his eye. “So why don’t you just get it over with?”

“Now why would I do that? Especially when we’re having so much fun?” The cold voice is laced with an edge of lust and all the warmth is drained by lack of compassion. He makes another cut, this time on the side of Sora’s cheek. Sora yelps again in pain, visibly shaking.

“Saix, stop this!” Sora yells, struggling in his bonds. Saix huffs a laugh into the air before punching Sora in the gut. Another small spray of blood and another yell. He gasps and groans, eyes rolling back into his head. Through a haze of agony, he hears the waves lapping against the boat furiously. His ears ring with another punch, this time to the face. Saix quickly squeezes Sora’s face in his hand, leaving small bruises across his cheeks where his fingertips are.

“The thing is, I’m never going to give you that release. You’re never leaving here. I’m going to make sure you suffer for a long time, just like I did.”

  
  


**Riku**

 

“If Sora is still alive, then Saix is probably keeping him in the brig,” Riku shudders at the ideas of what Saix might be keeping him alive for. “We can board the ship just long enough to break him out. I think we have enough people to distract them long enough.”

Axel sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. “Captain, I-I’m not sure this is going to work, okay?” 

Roxas shushes him and looks at the map below him. 

“We can corner them at this isle and board them then. We have some harpoons on the side of the ship we can use to tether them to ours.” Roxas pauses afterwards, most likely lost in his own thoughts as to how exactly they were going to pull this off. “If we catch them by surprise, we may have the upper hand.”

“If we’re lucky, maybe some of their men will join us. I can see some of them not accepting Saix as the new captain,” Riku mutters. 

“But why are we taking that risk? What if we’re outnumbered?” Axel groans, putting his face into his hand. Roxas sits up and walks over to Axel, putting a hand to his shoulder.

“Hey, hey… I wouldn’t have met you if it weren’t for taking risks,” Roxas mutters before taking his hand and squeezing it lightly. Axel hesitates, but then nods. Roxas goes back to the table with Riku.

“We’ll sneak aboard once the sun goes down. We should be getting pretty close to them already. Hopefully they won’t notice us before nightfall.”

 

-

 

The Twilight sailed to The Organization without disturbing the crew. The crewmates of The Twilight lay down planks to connect the two ships and Roxas, Axel, and Riku walk over to the ship as quietly as they can muster. The chill wind blows through them as they notice two of the shipmates distracted by a card game. Roxas sneaks over to them and draws his sword.

“Zexion, how in the hell do you keep winning?” The man mutters under his breath before looking up from his cards. Roxas whips the sword around under the man’s throat.

“Don’t move, don’t scream,” Roxas commands, pressing the edge of the sword a little further. “Stand up, both of you.” The two obey and stay silent as Roxas gestures them to the edge of the boat. 

“Where are the others?” He quickly asks.

“T-They’re downstairs. Most of them are asleep,” The boy named Zexion whispers. “Please don’t hurt us,” he adds.

“Axel. Take them back to our ship. Riku, follow me.”

Axel draws his sword and uses it to gesture the two onto The Twilight. Roxas signals forward and he and Riku make their way below deck. They peek inside the door to see Xigbar, Marluxia, and a few others drinking in a circle. The door to the brig is behind them and there’s no sight of Saix. He hears a pained cry from the brig.

_ Sora. He’s alive. _

Riku, not thinking, starts to rush into the room. Roxas wraps his arms around Riku’s abdomen, pushing onto his wound. Riku groans before Roxas can cover Riku’s mouth with his free hand and Roxas drags him backwards as well as he can for his short stature. Riku fights out of his grasp and whips around to face him.

“What are you doing?!” Riku says in hushed aggravation. 

Roxas shakes his head and whispers, “Don’t be an idiot! We’ll get to him, we just have to get the rest of the crew.”

“I can’t wait that long! He can’t wait that long!” Riku says, a little louder this time. Roxas looks behind Riku to see Xigbar putting his drink down in between the crack of the door. Xigbar mutters to Marluxia and both of them draw their weapons.

“Riku, wait. I-I think they hear us,” Roxas mutters, readying his sword. Riku turns around and sees Xigbar getting closer to the door. Riku draws a pistol and holds it out in front of him.

“Riku…” Roxas places a hand on his shoulder. “He’ll be okay. I promise.” He didn’t hide his lie well enough to soothe Riku’s worried thoughts.

Xigbar opens the door and is immediately met with a bullet in his right shoulder. He groans in pain and falls to his knees. Marluxia walks up behind him and throws his hands up, dropping his blade. He laughs quietly and darkly.

“So you had to get help, huh? Not like your boyfriend is going to be worth saving after the Captain is done with him.”

“Fuck off.” Riku keeps his eyes on Marluxia as he walks closer. He kicks away his blade and sticks the gun to his forehead. The rest of Roxas’s crew flood the ship and into the room.

“Tick tock, tick tock. Saix might not let him live through the night.”

Riku feels his breath shorten as he runs forward towards the brig. 

“Wait, Riku!” Roxas yells after him, but Riku is already heading through the door.

 

-

 

Another scream of agony echoes off the cell walls as Riku runs in. Saix has his knife to Sora’s throat, already making a shallow cut at the left side of his neck. He has several deep cuts along his bare abdomen, blood dripping down to his legs. Saix is smiling ravenously, baring all of his teeth in a jaw breaking smile. Sora strains his neck to try to look at Riku.

“R-Riku…” Sora mumbles. 

Riku clutches to his chest before pointing his pistol at Saix. Saix pushes the knife closer to Sora’s neck, threatening to slice it wide open.

“Ah ah ah,” he says, mockingly, “Wouldn’t want him to get seriously hurt, would you, boy?”

“Let him go,” Riku commands, more confident than he feels. The rush of adrenaline leaves him shaking and he sees the gun bob up and down in his hands. He feels sweat pooling at his neck and chest.

“I think you’re not in the position to make demands,” Saix laughs wickedly.

“Let him go. Now,” Riku cocks the pistol and aims towards Saix’s head.

“I don’t see either one of you escaping this alive. Drop the gun. Or he gets it.”

Riku pauses when Sora’s ocean eyes meet his, pleading. He slowly puts down the gun and raises his hands, on his knees. Saix laughs evilly.

“I can’t believe how stupid-“ 

A gun goes off and the air around them shatters. The bullet rips through space and silence falls upon them in its wake. Saix speaks, but his words are lost when the bullet hits his chest.

The knife drags through the skin of the side of Sora’s neck and Saix’s eyes roll up as he falls with a loud thud. The knife clatters on the floor and Sora’s head hangs loosely, blood pooling onto the already crimson stained floor. 

Roxas lowers his gun and helps Riku up from the ground. He starts to say something, but Riku is already running over to Sora’s aid.

Riku undos Sora’s chains, starting at his legs. When he unchains his hands, Sora mutters incoherently and falls into Riku’s arms. Riku holds him up and embraces him.

 

“Sora, you’re… you’re going to be okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW! Thank you SO much for making it to the end of this chapter. Next chapter will be out very soon and then on to the next story! You can follow me @cloud_jupiter_ on twitter for fic announcements and to be notified of when I post new chapters. Again, thanks for being here. Love you all! Comments and kudos are HIGHLY appreciated. <3 <3


	11. I Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "And I'll use you as a focal point  
> So I don't lose sight of what I want  
> And I've moved further than I thought I could  
> But I missed you more than I thought I would  
> And I'll use you as a warning sign  
> That if you talk enough sense then you'll lose your mind  
> And I found love where it wasn't supposed to be  
> Right in front of me  
> Talk some sense to me"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE IT IS, THE FINAL PART! Sorry it's a bit short, but I still tried to wrap up everything. I hope you all enjoy. <3

**Sora**

 

Sora wakes up in a fuzzy haze with a throbbing headache. He can feel where the skin around the cuts have started to swell. He slowly opens his eyes and everything is white at first. He hears a distant, garbled voice that startles him at first, but he’s too weak to fight back. He’s just so tired that he can’t -

“Sora! Sora, i-it’s me, it’s me…” The voice comes in clearer now and he feels soft, warm hands caressing his face. All of his thoughts stumble to a halt and all he can focus on is the voice. The white eventually fades to normal colors and Riku’s face is the first to appear.

“R-Riku… you came back.” His tongue is getting tangled and he feels like his words are separate from himself, like he isn’t the one actually saying them. His skin tingles when Riku kisses him on his forehead and he starts to feel light headed again.

“Sora, I… I thought I had lost you,” Riku says, almost choking.

“You won’t be getting rid of me that easily,” Sora coughs out a small laugh and Riku playfully nudges his shoulder.

“Riku, I’m… I’m so sorry. For absolutely everything. If it weren’t for me leaving-“

“I accept your apology, Sora, but please, don’t dwell on it any longer,” Riku places his hand on top of Sora’s. Sora adjusts himself and winces softly, sharply inhaling when he stretches some of his scars. He rubs against the thick bandage wrapped around his neck, realizing how deep the cut actually was. A silence falls upon them before Riku mutters,

“Did you mean it?”

“Huh?”

“What you said before I left. Did you mean it?”

Sora pauses for a moment before his lips meet Riku’s.

“I love you,” he mumbles, his face glowing red.

Riku laughs in joy and brings a hand to his face. Sora sees tears start to stream down Riku’s face and he notices his own eyes welling up. Riku embraces Sora, careful not to aggravate his healing wounds.

“I-I love you too. So much,” Riku mutters into Sora.

“Did we miss anything?”

Axel huffs an embarrassed laugh as he walks into the room with Roxas, holding his hand. Roxas gently lets go and walks over to Sora.

“Our nurse, Aqua, said that you should be okay. The wounds were severe, but we were lucky enough to get you treatment in time.”

Riku hugs Sora again, gently. “You’re going to be okay,” he says.

Sora nods. “Thank you all so much. Can I meet everyone?”

Roxas smiles sweetly. “Sure. My name is Roxas.”

“And you already know me,” Axel laughs, bringing two fingers to his forehead and saluting.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” Sora mutters, a little hesitant. “You were always nice to me back when Xemnas… never mind.” Sora changes his mind. “Thank you for all your help.”

“Of course.” Axel nods.

“So… what now?” Sora asks, concerned. “What happened to the rest of the crew?”

“We have Xigbar and Marluxia in the brig. The rest seemed okay with appointing Demyx as captain and sailing away. They wish the best,” Roxas says.

“We’ve already been contacted by the Guild. They’re willing to let your previous crimes go. They’re going to help us go back to the islands,” Riku smiles.

A warmth radiates through Sora, a warmth that stretches from top to bottom.

“That… that sounds wonderful.”

”That is, if you want to go back with me to the islands,” Riku mutters shyly.

”What are you talking about? Of  _ course  _ I do,” Sora quickly grabs Riku’s hand and squeezes it tightly. “We’re in this together.”

 

**Epilogue**

 

**Riku**

 

“Hey.”

Sora turns around with a grin tossed over his shoulder, his sun-tanned skin glowing under the setting sun. The scar on his neck and arms have started to fade and the color of his freckles pop against his skin. His disheveled chestnut hair is still dripping with salt water and he has his board propped in the sand next to him. The ocean stretched out ahead of him infinitely is calm, sparkling. Riku glances over his shoulder to see a familiar tree with star shaped fruits hanging from it. He goes to sit down next to Sora, gently sitting down onto the sand. Sora nudges him with his shoulder.

“Where have you been?” Sora asks, being nosy.

“Oh, I don’t know. Places? Am I supposed to bring you everywhere now?” Riku taunts, pushing Sora back with his shoulder.

“Hey, you almost lost me back there. I thought you’d want to be joined at the hip,” Sora mutters, pouting.

“Oh, hush. You know I wouldn’t  _ actually  _ go anywhere without you,” Riku lays a hand over Sora’s.

“Maybe…” Sora says in a sing-song hum.

Riku feels the familiar weight of the papou fruit in his bag. The need to ask feels too heavy, too needy; the fateful fruit had already been offered before, but… this time is different. 

Riku kisses the scar on Sora’s neck where it meets his shoulder. A shudder erupts from Sora and his shoulder tries to twitch up. Sora dissolves into giggles.

“Riku! Stop, that tickles! You know I’m sensitive there!” He scolds playfully.

Riku goes in kissing every inch of skin he can see; his shoulders, his neck, his jaw, his cheek, and then his lips. When he pulled back, Sora’s smile reflected a spark of mischief; that damn  _ smirk  _ on his lips.

“What are you going on about?” Sora mutters under his breath.

“I… I brought you something,” Riku squeezes Sora’s hand before fumbling with his bag. He pushes past the towels he had packed and pulls out the papou fruit. When he looks up at Sora, he’s already holding his own papou fruit.

“What…?” Riku says dumbly.

“Oh please, like you were the only one who thought of it,” Sora jokes.

They both share long, warm laughter, like light itself. Wiping tears from their eyes, they both break apart their papou fruits and hand each other the other halves.

“Do you trust me?” Sora grins, holding up his half of the fruit.

 

“With everything I have.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! I really appreciate every single one of you going on this journey with me. I'm planning to post a fake dating!au with Soriku in a few weeks that I've been working on. I hope you all stick around for it, but if not, thanks for reading this fic. You can find me on Twitter at @cloud_jupiter_ for updates on the fics, art, and general KH nerdiness. <3 <3 <3


End file.
